Erik Patterson, L.A.’s master of “I didn’t see that coming” plot twists, is back at Echo Theater with his sexiest and most provocative play in years, the twisty-turny, edge-of-your-seat, and very sexy F**king Strangers.

It’s on a dark and rainy night that we first meet 20something Ru (Michael Sturgis), soaked to the skin on the side of the 605 and sobbing to his mother that no, he can’t call Jason for help, because the two of them have broken up, and no, they’re not getting back together because who would want to get back together with a cheater like Jason?

Next up on F**king Strangers’ titillating menu are 50ish Mick (James Tupper) and the much younger man (Sean Luc Rogers) he meets at the gym, a nearly naked twunk who more than welcomes Mick’s lustful gaze because, as he puts it, “I wouldn’t work so hard for a body like this if I didn’t want people to look.”

 It doesn’t take long for names to be exchanged, but when the young hottie introduces himself as Tony, Mick corrects him. “Tony’s too blue collar, like a mechanic. Pick something else,” and yes, you guessed it, Dylan (his real name) is an escort whom Mick is paying for his services.

 Completing F**king Strangers’ cast of characters is masseuse Julianne (Tasha Ames), living a comfortable married life these past thirty years but still wondering if she made the right decision when she abandoned her high school dream of becoming an actress.

As for Ru, whom we last saw waiting on the side of the 605, well it turns out six years have passed since then, six years he’s spent holed up in his bedroom chatting with strangers in sex cam rooms, the latest of whom just happens to be…

That’s right, it’s Dylan, but don’t expect me to reveal any more than this, since one of the chief pleasures of each new Erik Patterson play is piecing together clues while trying in vain to guess what will happen next, though if you can predict what surprises Patterson has up his sleeve in F**king Strangers, then your plot-twist radar is a lot more astute than mine.

Not that I particularly mind, because what I enjoy most about Erik Patterson as a playwright is not seeing things coming, and there’s at least one unexpected turn of events in F**king Strangers that is such a doozy, I can pretty much guarantee that you will join the audience’s collective gasp when it happens.

Director Chris Fields once again does the kind of thrillingly edgy work that made Patterson’s One Of The Nice Ones an Echo Theater Company winner ten years ago, and the cast he has assembled is as crème de la crème as Echo Theater casts get.

Sturgis’s quirky-nerdy-magnetic star turn as Ru is just the latest in a string of quirky-nerdy-magnetic star turns by the uniquely gifted USC grad; Echo treasure Ames once again proves herself one of the most electrifying actresses in town as Julianne; and Tupper (Reece Witherspoon’s ex on Big Little Lies) is absolutely terrific as a man with more than a few secrets in his closet.

Last but most definitely not least, I know of no stage actor in town who could play Dylan with the same mix of sweetness, sex appeal, and Yale-honed acting chops that the fame-bound Rogers brings to the role even when not stripped down to his skivvies.

Amanda Knehan’s simple but stylish set suggests a couple of side-by-side bedrooms when we’re not at a restaurant or movie theater or on the side of a busy highway, and Dianne K. Graebner’s costumes, Matt Richter’s lighting, and M. Glenn Schuster’s sound design prove every bit as effective at bringing F**king Strangers to vibrant life.

F**king Strangers is produced by Kelly Beech and Fields. Santeon Brown, Meghan McEnery, Marti Skoler, and Melanie Thompson are associate producers. Sam Morelos is assistant director. David Shofner understudies the role of Mick. Jasmine Leung is stage manager. Lucy Pollak is publicist.

It’s been seventeen years since I first discovered Erik Patterson’s gift for writing plays that are as provocative as they are sexy, challenging, and thoroughly enthralling.

That was back in 2009 with his absolutely stunning He Asked For It, and the same holds true in 2026. Simply put, World Premieres don’t get any more f**king amazing than F**king Strangers.

The Echo Theater Company @ Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave., Atwater Village. Through August 24. Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00. Sundays at 4:00.
www.EchoTheaterCompany.com

–Steven Stanley
July 20, 2026
Photos: Cooper Bates

Visit www.theatreinla.com/nowplayingrs.php for a review roundup of what’s now playing in theaters around Los Angeles.

Tags: Echo Theater Company, Erik Patterson, Los Angeles Theater Review