You are cordially invited to a dinner party from Hell. In Paige’s dining room, five guests assemble for a night of hell; her husband Lars, a published writer; Wynne, a post-feminist hippy artist; Hal, a microbiologist; Sian, a 'news babe' and Mike, the uninvited guest who has just crashed his van. From the beginning, decorum is out of the window, as it is clear that Paige has some scores to settle.

In a night designed to offend and humiliate, she forces her guests to engage in her little games, bringing up deliberately provocative and personal conversational topics ranging from murder weapons, suicide and 'truth' as part of her plan to exact the perfect revenge. What unfolds is an hour and a half of bubbling tension, as words as sharp as daggers are exchanged, deceit and adultery are revealed and some very questionable food is served up.

"Eimear Dooley gave a strong performance as the feisty, strong-minded Paige, commanding the stage from her first entrance"

As a trademark Corpus Playroom kitchen sink drama, Dinner has a hard task of setting itself apart from its predecessors - a task that could have been successful if justice had been done to Moira Buffini’s witty and satirical script. However, I’m sad to say that Lia Johansen’s production didn’t quite live up to its full potential. From even the first scenes of the play, it became clear that what was to define this production was a lack of artistic vision. The driving force of this play is strong characterisation, and Buffini’s writing gives a large amount of scope for big and bold personalities, but Johnson’s presentation of the characters seemed underdeveloped, which meant scenes often lacked a necessary dynamism.

Eimear Dooley gave a strong performance as the feisty, strong-minded Paige, commanding the stage from her first entrance. However, the character itself appears to have been directed rather one dimensionally, as Johansen failed to bring out the complexities in Paige’s character, culminating in an ending far too sudden and rushed. I understand the play’s climax is meant to be shocking, but there has to be a degree of build-up for this to seem credible, and as such the end was more alienating than it was believable.

Luckily, Dooley clearly has a good natural instinct and was often able to overcome the flaws in direction, managing to provide one of the most interesting performances of the night. Oliver Jones as Lars, the charismatic, angry and ultimately selfish husband also gave a confident performance and the relationship between the two was generally well-established.

The supporting cast of Harriet Philips, Jamie Robson and Christof Epaminondas also gave convincing performances despite a few slip-ups. Lizzy O’Brien (Sian) did her best with the material she was given, but the character itself is fundamentally redundant to the plot, and there was clearly not much of an attempt to counteract this by developing an interesting personality.

"Oliver Jones as Lars, the charismatic, angry and ultimately selfish husband also gave a confident performance"

Despite all the good instincts of the cast, it was obvious that often actors were reaching for lines, confused about cues and not quite sure what they were meant to be doing on stage. Some of this can be put down to opening night nerves, however as this play needs pace, such blips slowed down important scenes and the play therefore failed to maintain a consistent energetic and vibrant atmosphere.

My other problem with the production is the set, or rather, the lack of it. As Paige and Lars repeatedly reference how rich they are, I was disappointed that this was not at all reflected in a lavish set - apart from a table, chairs and a small chest, the stage was empty. There is a lot to be said for minimalistic sets when they add something to the production, however in a play that is trying to create an air of realism, this effect jarred with its overall vibe.

Storytellers of the “strange earth”: an afternoon with Fen

This lack of polish characterised the tech side of the production as well. Basic things such as covering the scene transitions with music to avoid the sounds of movement, chair scuffing and plates clattering would have added an air of professionalism. But these little details were simply overlooked.

It’s not that Dinner was not enjoyable. Indeed, the script is funny and the plot is tense and engaging. It’s just that with this solid foundation I was expecting so much more, and it is a shame that a lack of clear vision has prevented this production from being particularly effective. It was far from a night of hell, but if this show is comparable to revenge, a dish best served cold, then this is somewhere around the lukewarm mark