Buttocks, vaginas, breasts. Sarah Beth Nelson’s one-woman show is a collection of humorous personal stories about body parts often considered off-limits. A self-described raconteuse, relatability is the key to Nelson’s show as she plumbs her past to expose her experiences with, well, the show’s namesake, Naughty Bits. Filmed in front of a bookshelf in what is presumably Nelson’s home, her delivery is lowkey and deeply personable with only a few stumbles.
As a cis woman, which this seemingly caters to, I found myself nodding my head along to several of her anecdotes, including the annoyance of finding a bra that fits and the menstrual cup learning curve. She also delves into the quandary of how to properly dispose of a placenta and “the myth of the infinite vagina.” Nelson breaks down taboos by speaking on these subjects candidly.
To transition between stories, Nelson pauses, grabs whatever body part she’s about to dissect and works her magic. The mechanic is simple, but effective in breaking up the work so each story has room to breathe. Cutting it up also helps the viewer follow along with ease. That being said, several long-winded moments could have been trimmed down to sustain interest. Props or other elements might have also aided the show’s overall impact.
A technical error in which the audio continued while the video itself was stuck on a single frame distracted from the overall story. This appeared to be an editing issue but only lasted for a few minutes.
Yes, Naughty Bits, is a monologue, but Nelson’s honest charm gave the show the sense of sitting down with a friend, rehashing old stories, unafraid of digging into the messy bits.
The Cincinnati Fringe Festival takes place June 4-19. For more information, show descriptions, a schedule and tickets, visit cincyfringe.com.
