To achieve a lasting impression with any 30-minute late show at Corpus Christi Playrooms would be difficult. ‘AND/OR’ was an interesting (if brief) foray into the experimental, but ultimately struggled to be much more than mediocre.

The play alternated between the two flatmates Tarquin (Aaron Bufe) and Jamie (Isabella Cookson), and the sisters Tamsin (Katherine Soper) and Maggie (Susie Chrystal). Jamie and Tamsin are making decisions about moving to London, and it is through this that the stories parallel, brought together symbolically through the same stage representing their two different living spaces.

Jamie opens with a speech about dropping her cigarette (then rendered unsmokeable), an effort by the writers to illustrate the central theme of the juxtaposition between chaos and choice in everyday life. The acting however, was too histrionic, (far beyond anything needed to demonstrate Jamie’s outlandish character) so the point was over-laboured. Tarquin’s obsession with chess was more credible, and was a slicker way to introduce the central theme. Aaron Bufe’s awkward, disconnected demeanour created a character that was geeky enough to justify long monologues describing the closing gap between man and machine.

Susie Chrystal as Maggie was the most lively and natural onstage. In the climactic scene Maggie becomes hysterical (she knocks over the chessboard) and Chrystal did well to authenticate the character’s rapid transition into this state. Katherine Soper, as Tamsin, was less convincing when conveying high emotion. The sisters’ arguments occurred too suddenly. Soper’s lack of build-up may have been to demonstrate the highly-strung nature of her character. However, it only made the confrontations seem unrealistic. In her monologue (a drawn-out description of her sister getting out of a cab) Soper delivered the line ‘her breath smelt of vodka’ with a fondness that seemed contradictory to her earlier distain for Maggie’s smoking, adding to a sense of inconsistency that detracted from her believability.

When venturing into the experimental, ‘AND/OR’ produced some interesting concepts. The best were those that elegantly integrated the two story-lines, most notably when both flats had a dinner party on the same table. The laying of the table at the dinner party and the interweaving of conversations was negotiated adroitly by the actors, showing good direction and imaginative writing. There were moments when the overlaying of conversations created confusion, and perhaps if the speech were segregated more the scene would have been more effective. The worst concepts were also seen at this point however, such as the Tarquin and Tamsin’s speaking in unison. It was a problematic way to unite onstage action, and wasn’t necessary either. Had it been pulled of effortlessly, it may’ve seemed visionary rather than burdensome, but even then would remain a technique of dubious merit (a slicker performance risked seeming too grandiose).

‘AND/OR’ is a play with a few moments to recommend it, but failed to have a marked impact. As a play that deals with chance and choice, perhaps the fact that an audience’s reaction could go either way is entirely appropriate, though this doesn’t lend much credit to its creators.