I’ve always been a fan of David Mamet’s films, which usually centre around con games, deception and greed. Rather than base his method on screenwriting manuals, the writer/director is a student of magic—not wizardry, but misdirection through storytelling technique. Relationships, which is the focus of this stage production, are not immune to a con trick or two, but their inherent trouble is self-deception. If we don’t know what we want, how could we blame others for not delivering it?

Sexual Perversity in Chicago has an enticing title and, in its ADC version, a seductive poster. It tells the story of Dan and Deborah, who meet cute, have sex, enjoy it, continue to see each other, decide to move in together, begin to argue… Am I spoiling the plot? Hardly. Living together isn’t for every couple, no matter how in love they may feel at the beginning of their romance.

Dan’s best friend Bernard and Deborah’s roommate Joan complete the cast. Bernard is a chauvinistic pig, if ever there was one. In the first scene, he describes a sexual encounter that mixes male fantasy with absurdity that boils over into madness. It involves a young girl who gets off on airplane noises and watching lighter fluid burn. “Nobody does it normally any more,” concludes Bernard. Joan is sceptical of Dan and romance in general. She behaves rudely to both members of the couple at different times, and delivers a tender speech about a cookie and a hug that I’ll leave for you to discover.

The play premiered in 1974 and its position on gender roles feels dated, if not retro. Having seen the work of Neil LaBute on the subject, Mamet’s take appears tame by comparison, and not nearly vicious enough to be taken seriously. Maybe audience members should re-contextualise the material within its particular time period. I imagine the bedroom conversation about the taste of cum would’ve been particularly successful at raising eyebrows in the ‘70s.

If anything, Sexual Perversity in Chicago can be enjoyed as an American farce, where the joys of language replace physical comedy. The playwright’s particular way with dialogue means the characters’ rhythms of speech punctuate and puncture each other. The actors do a very good job of delivering Mamet’s words with gusto. The set design is simple and effective, and the direction keeps the action flowing at just the right pace. It’s an enjoyable play. The thing is, if you’re as interested in these things as I am, you’ve heard all of this before.