Sharp dialogue that makes the prostitutes seem almost too gung-ho about their trade keeps the play racing through most of the first act. Conflict arises when a gentleman in a limousine, identified only as "the fat man," rolls by to solicit Dave and Fran for a threesome; it's clear that the encounter will eventually drive a wedge between Ashley and the rest of the gang. The plot thickens further when Fran's plump roommate Donna gets the two of them in legal trouble by fooling around with a minor in their flat.
The play takes a sour turn after intermission as dudley spins it into a sentimental morality tale. While the first act's slags had discussed the economics of anal sex, the second act's hookers-with-hearts-of-gold of wax contemplative about what their lives could have been if not for cuts in various social programs: Dave says that he'd really like to have been a rapper, Fran tells of a traumatic experience that led her to reconsider what life means, and Ashley learns the hard way about the value of friendship.
Though Slag Heap contains too much coarse language, bloodletting, and partial nudity for the major networks, its message would be safe for an After School Special. Instead of confronting the audience with its indifference to sexual exploitation, dudley passes the quid to Thatcher and to the characters' own desire for money and fame. What Off-Broadway theatergoer would object to such easy targets? Meanwhile, we're invited to forget our own participation in the very conditions that make the cycle possible.
Most of the acting is strong enough to keep the play entertaining throughout. Vincent Kartheiser and Polly Lee play Dave and Ashley with a bubbly charm that seems the result of a combination of youthful optimism and a steady supply of cocaine.
