Sunday Times

4 December 2011

Jane Edwardes

*** 3 Stars

At 66, Jane Juska decides it is time to seize the day after 30 years of celibacy. She places an ad in the New York Review of books, stating that she “would like to have a lot of sex with a man I like. If you want to talk first, Trollope works for me.” Scarily, she dives into bed with a series of men in their apartments on the first date. One man confuses Trollope with trollop. Another winces when he sees her. She is needy and they reject her. She has family issues that need resolving. Sex for the superannuated is a bold choice of subject matter but Jane Prowse’s script, an adaption of Juska’s true story, is more often sweet than shocking. Fortunately, Sharon Gless (once one half of the television cop duo Cagney & Lacey) excels as Jane. She is sassy, resilient and vulnerable. Fans of The Vagina Monologues will enjoy this most.