I Met All My Friends On Dating Apps
Written and performed by Jess Andrews ‘I Met All My Friends On Dating Apps’ is a beautiful look at unconventional love’. J opens the play telling us she likes bees, ice cream and the colour green. She is your average 32 year old getting ready for an evening out, with clothes strewn across the stage as a makeshift ‘floordrobe’, but we learn that maybe she’s not as average as first thought. She is married, and getting ready to spend the night on a date with someone who is not her husband. J shares with us that she is Polyamorous and knows she can be (and has been) in love with more than one person at a time. She has decided she’s going to share her story with us having documented her first year of exploration of what it means to be ethically non-monogamous, and frankly I felt honoured to be invited on this journey.
'I Met All My Friends On Dating Apps' is a beautiful 50 minute long exploration into J’s history in the world of dating, self described as ‘vanilla with sprinkles’, some adventures were more successful than others. She shares stories of falling in love with people while travelling, dodgy men looking for a quick one night tumble in the sheets and how she has remained friends with the majority of people she has been on dates with.
At times it feels more like a Ted-Talk than a play, with cleverly designed and often humorous graphics and charts showing the trends J has noticed on her journey (100% good kisser feedback is not to be sniffed at!). It’s a good mix of a comedy play and just having a catch up with a friend, the audience are invited into her world and we instantly hit it off.
A particularly funny highlight is the use of puppets to replay a bad first date. There are some more serious moments, including a powerful period where J undresses down to her underwear while maintaining eye contact with the audience. It’s intense and, I’d imagine for some audience members, uncomfortable but then powerful all in one.
There are many questions posed throughout this play: Is Polyamorous something you are, or just something you do? Is the road to love always this difficult? How many dates will J go on next year? It’s a wonderful insight into a world we don’t see much of, and shows that maybe there are other options out there if only you’re brave enough to take them.
This show was reviewed on the 15th June 2025 at the Lantern Theatre, Brighton. You can find out more about Jess and further tour dates here: THEATRE | Jess Andrews
Review written by Rosie Browne
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Photo credit: Jericho Reid
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