LUST

• BUZZ MAGAZINE

• HIV - Isn’t That A Record Shop?

• Robert Pacitti interviewed by Polly Marshall, 1990

'LUST - The Killer Sin, a piece in eight scenes and two acts. The latest presentation from Aids Positive Underground Theatre, full of mad effects, courtesy of the crazed genius of newcomer Robert Pacitti, who talked to BUZZ about LUST, and other hot stuff...

So what's all this LUST all about then?

"Through apparently unrelated scenes a train of thought becomes clear - AIDS isn't about sex, it's about life and about death. Which, in turn, raises issues about mortality and all that stuff about material desires imposed to stop us questioning our mortality. We fear disease because we're fed that our bodies are precious."

Sounds like a barrel of laughs!!??!

"Humour is a great release, if I had AIDS the last thing I'd want is tragedy from some jumped-up performer. Bombarding the audience with humour, as this does do, gets to something much more personal, especially in a small space like the Marlborough. Humour is relaxing, like a punch between the eyes."

How did you come to be Involved?

"One of the scenes was a performance in itself, seen by composer Michael Finnessy. I did a cover for his book Stretching Frontiers (Oxford University Press). His acquaintance John Roman Baker, kingpin of APUT, asked to see a video. What I showed him was basically a rehearsal, with no props or costumes, fuck ups on the music. But he asked me to extend it, and APUT funded the venue, posters, staging."

Where does APUT get funding?

"Despite the high praise they've earned in the Festival, APUT gets nothing from them - and only £400 a year from South East Arts. Yet they continue to organise radical and critically acclaimed performances."

Are you throwing your punches at a male gay audience?

"No. AIDS isn't a male gay problem; that's just the political effect of media reporting. It set the gay community back twenty years in the public eye. But because the male gay community in Britain is so small, the percentage of people dying is very noticeable. So I use gay scenarios as examples - LUST is exemplified by a gay male fucking unprotected. I've also included stuff that brings in women's sexuality and women's roles in relationships. The two other performers in LUST are both women. But it's not about two supportive women; it's about three people on stage. Gender is very ambiguous throughout.”

What do you mostly want to express with LUST?

"Gay attacks nationwide are on the increase and media perpetration of AIDS myths is responsible for that. It gives people an easy let out. I use insects as a metaphor for repulsion. The uncomprehending fear, the gut reaction, is similar to the reaction people feel when they read about AIDS in the media. We have to have responsibility towards other people. We can't destroy what we are conditioned to feel revolted by. We shouldn't destroy whatever fits into the danger role - how many wasps do you see compared to how many sting you? There are alternatives - no one's going to stop being hedonistic or having fun!"

To understand the mysterious connection between good times, insects and the plastic bits that hold six packs of beer together, get down to The Marlborough, Princes Street at 8.30pm on 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th October and see how LUST - the Killer Sin feels.’