A 1970s New York apartment in the Corpus Playroom – easy if you’re set designer Jessica Poon. From the sofa to the spectacles, the posters to the pullovers, the set was masterfully designed. There was plenty for the audience to look at on arrival, and a perfect atmosphere once the show started, complete with a retro copy of Playboy (borrowed from the fabled top floor of the UL?). I was planning a sarcastic dig at the Domino’s pizza boxes, but Wikipedia suggests that even those were not unreasonably out of place.

The flat’s occupant is Allan, a neurotic film critic in his late twenties whose wife has just divorced him. Allan is played by Matthew Fellows, who professed in the Varsity preview not to have seen the film written by and starring Woody Allen in his role. I can’t judge whether his performance was impersonatory or original, since I haven’t seen the film either, but it was certainly entertaining. Though the flutters in his mental state perhaps came a little too quickly and without warning, he showed leadership as the central character and gave a poised performance.

In Allan’s imagination, Humphrey Bogart is his chief adviser on the ladies. Justin Wells is perfectly cast in this role, starting out macho but softening believably where required. Also in dreamworld is Nancy, Allan’s ex-wife, played by Kate Reid. While she is initially suitably apathetic about their finished relationship, her characterisation fails to be strong enough when Allan conjures her as vengeful or jealous. She was not helped by the unwieldy transitions into Allan’s imagination, with slow entrances and exits from the sides of the Playroom. I don’t see that there would have been a continuity problem if the  door at the back of the stage was used instead.

The principals generally merited their roles over the supporting actors, but Katie McCrudden was suitably flustered as Allan’s blind date Sharon, and Joanna Vymeris and Olivia Morgan made the most of their moments, differentiating their characters well. Paul Clarkson was a little rigid as businessman Dick, who was brash in the beginning but lacked sincerity towards the end. His intonation contours were staccato throughout, perhaps brought on by nerves about putting on an American accent.

The dark comedy took its time to mature. This is partly because the actors needed time to relax into their characters on the opening night.  The script also labours over the opening scenes, taking some time to develop a situation which is actually quite simple.  But the fireworks begin to fly once Georgie Henley warms into her role as Linda, as her developing intimacy with Allan waxes and wanes with glances smiles and outbursts. The sickly sweet ending is a good antidote to the play’s earlier neurosis, rounding off a strong and amusing show.

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