SaunaPlay review by Jen Bush

Written, directed and produced by Ronnie Larsen

Cast: Hari Bhaskar, Etienne Lartigau

     Things are steaming up in the sauna and not just because the heat is turned all the way up!  Sauna is a short hybrid piece that’s part play and part sketch comedy routine.  It’s only eight and a half minutes long but it’s a memorable eight and a half minutes.  Two fit gentlemen clad only in a towel meet in a sauna and have a very interesting encounter.  The sexual tension in the room is palpable.  They ditch the small talk and flirt unabashedly.  The character played by Hari Bhaskar who we will call Sauna User Two is open to what might happen but keeps mentioning that he’s married.  Each gentleman describes in detail how their hook up could play out.   They each simulate driving in a car on the way to their rendezvous.  Sauna User One has a traditional scenario of driving to a hotel and getting it on.  He takes it further and envisions that the two will grow old together.  Sauna User Two has a wildly different scenario with a less than happy ending because it involves getting caught by his wife.

     Sauna is a bawdy and funny look at the different kinds of men that you’d meet in a sauna.  Regardless of how they identify, they all have the sole intention of having sex with other men.  The set design was impeccable.  The stage looked like a real sauna.  The lighting was artistic with soft hues of gold, pink and purple creating a romantic atmosphere in an unlikely place of romance.

      The cast played their sexy parts very well.  Your glasses might steam up after watching this play.  Etienne Lartigau played a persuasive instigator.  He turned up the heat when he came on strong.  Harry Bhaskar brought several levels to Sauna User Two.  He displayed a good balance of interest and reluctance when he was propositioned.   Mr. Bhaskar’s comedic abilities shined as he was describing his hook up scenario.  Hilarity ensued as the details became more preposterous.  He deftly displayed a wide array of emotions in his portrayal.  Forget about swiping left and swiping right.  Sauna was HOT, HOT, HOT!