Wolfgang Weinberger to Reprise Ludwig's Guide to Sexual Misery at the West End's Duchess Theatre

By Mark Shenton
26 Nov 2009

Wolfgang Weinberger is to reprise Austrian therapist Bernhard Ludwig's A Guide to Sexual Misery for a series of late-night shows at the West End's Arts Theatre, beginning performances Dec. 11, for a run through Dec. 31.

The show was originally created as sex therapy for recovering heart attack patients by Austrian therapist Bernhard Ludwig, to lighten up a serious subject. According to press materials, what the patients wanted to know was how soon could they start to have sex again? From there it was a small step to "How often should I do it?" and on to "How should I do it?" Then someone suggested that "healthy" people might like to hear Ludwig's views on sex, too. Thirty-four friends and relatives attended the first public performance in a tiny theatre.

The show was subsequently taken over by actor Wolfgang Weinberger, and sold out the 2,500-seat Vienna Concert Hall. In 2008, it was a sell-out at the Edinburgh Festival, followed by a four-month run at London's Leicester Square Theatre in the heart of the West End in 2009.

Weinberger – described in press materials as "an unlikely sex expert" — graduated from the Vienna School of Economics then got his MA in Filmmaking at the University of Southern California. He started a comedy troupe, called The Killer Tomatoes, which toured Austria and Germany and was awarded the Salzburger Stier, the most prestigious comedy award in the German-speaking countries. He directed hundreds of TV commercials and a number of TV shows. His theatre credits include the German version of the Off-Broadway hit Tony 'n Tina's Wedding, which he adapted and directed.

Is A Guide to Sexual Misery a lecture, a comedy show or sex therapy? According to Weinberger, "The answer is a bit of all three. Some people come for the laughs, some because they think their partners will benefit and some just want to hear about other people's sex life. But almost all rush off after the show with a few burning new ideas to attend to ASAP."

All performances begin at 9:50 PM, except Dec. 31, when performances are at 7 PM and 9 PM. To book tickets, contact the box office on 0844 579 1973, or visit www.sexualmisery.com for more details.