Most Favoured review: A brief but provocative Christmas cracker

Lauren Lyle as Mary in Most Favoured - (Danny Kaan)

Short, slight but immaculately conceived, David Ireland’s comic one-acter about the aftermath of a one-night stand provides a bold new take on the Christmas nativity story. And though not uncontroversial, it’s also considerably sweeter than the all-out offensives that Ireland launched on audience sensibilities in Cyprus Avenue, Ulster American and The Fifth Step.

Max Elton’s production features concise performances from Lauren Lyle (The Ridge/Karen Pirie) as promiscuous Glaswegian Mary and Alexander Arnold (Skins/Yesterday) as Mike, an American who has never heard of Kentucky Fried Chicken. With a 6.30 start and a 45-minute running time, the show has been billed as an appetizer for a festive night out, and if you take it as such you probably won’t be disappointed. It’s almost impossible to write usefully about it without spoilers, however, so you might want to stop reading now.