This intense two-hander is one of Dennis Kelly’s earlier plays (it premiered in 2005) and it hasn’t aged brilliantly. Set in a nuclear bunker, where two colleagues cower in the wake of an explosion, it feels naive in the questions it asks about the imbalance of power between the sexes, and tired in its contrived construction. Above all, I’m not convinced the questions asked, or the “entertainment” generated, are worth the violence Kelly unleashes on stage.
There’s an air of whimsical comedy to Lyndsey Turner’s production, which for me doesn’t sit right in a play that journeys to such upsetting places. As office workers Mark and Louise gradually turn on each other, with the man predominantly in a position of control, Tingying Dong’s jangling music blasts out in between the scenes, filling the theatre with a tinny energy. A frame of white lights flashes brightly and briefly blinds us, teasing us with what fresh horrors might lie ahead.
