People Like Us/Happy Never After, The Pleasance

Two new plays in one evening, written by and about twenty somethings, is a treat. Jake Brunger's People Like Us, is a classic piece that sparks from the off. Tom, an ad man with a Maserati, and a sense of entitlement that provides gloriously gratifying lines, is needling his wife Clemmy, a woman on the verge of implosion, as she sets the table for a visit from brother, Josh and his new girlfriend, Sally.

Sally, it transpires, owns nail bars. What follows is a very funny and sharp hour of excruciating smalltalk which becomes incrementally crueller and more revealing.  We are on a family estate that Clemmy can no longer manage and Sally's presence underscores the downside of privilege - the locked-in expectations and impositions. While Tom enjoys putting a price on everything, modest Josh pretends to turn his back on money. It is Clemmy who, bearing the weight of their inheritance, is starting to crumble. Brunger's writing is deft and clever, and the piece would benefit from having some oxygen breathed through it: a little more time and space.

Conversely, Happy Never After is a lighter piece that takes a while to hit its stride. An everyday story of young lovers planning their shared future, morphs into a standard tale of sick girl making life changing medical choices. But, what ultimately makes Hannah Rodger's play about the love between Jen and Neil a good watch, is the interesting contention that the loss of fertility, even in someone young, affects her sexual value to a man.

In conclusion: There are terrific performances all round. Sammy Kissin as Clemmy and Nicholas Banks as Tom are outstanding. George Taylor and Leah Brotherhood are artfully nuanced. A terrific night in an intimate setting for just £10.

References
Pleasance Theatre, tickets.