Fringe review: Maybelline is in Her Slut Era
Armed with a PowerPoint presentation and plentiful gags, Maybelline San Juan is tackling the dating scene with aplomb. ★★★★
Maybelline San Juan loves a pie chart, and has all the data points to back it up when she tells you that after sleeping with 23 men in 132 days, statistically she’s a slut. If that sounds reductive, that’s the point: this is a show about double standards, sexual freedom and the fact that a young woman declaring “I love sex” on stage still feels like an act of reclamation in 2026.
Looking beyond the body count, there’s plenty of material to explore when considering the dating scene. Luckily Maybelline has a slide for every occasion, with DMs and date-lore that will make your toes curl and point you towards the cause of the so-called male loneliness epidemic if needed. (Hint: it’s not women. Men like Nic, Nik and Not-Nick really do need to get in the sea.)
You might like
Juan has a keen eye for a witty lyric, a smart line and a truth bomb or two (‘a condom might be uncomfortable but not as uncomfortable as child support’). These elicit laughs and groans of recognition in equal measure from the mainly Gen Z audience, although that shouldn’t put anyone off. Let’s face it, Gen X pretty much invented horrible dating behaviour and so there’s plenty for all to enjoy in this highly polished cabaret. Slut Era is clever, entertaining enough to be experience on the surface, but pointy enough to tell us something about ourselves, society and young women’s place in it at the same time. All that and PowerPoint slides? Grab the girls: that’s pretty much the definition of a good night out.
Maybelline Is In Her Slut Era concluded at Rhino Room on February 28
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.