There are a number of elements over which a theatre has limited jurisdiction, but one thing it can control is its seating. In the Courtyard's studio space rows of frustratingly unraked seats make for uncomfortable viewing. But not half as uncomfortable, we soon realise, as what is being put before us.
Jason Charles takes as his theme a tangle of modern-day gay relationships and manages, in an eye-watering running time of three hours, to offer barely one original thought or genuine sentiment. The dialogue between the six characters, which appears to have been cut and pasted from the greatest hits of the Pet Shop Boys, makes a low-brow magazine agony aunt seem like the wisdom of the ages by comparison.
The onslaught of short, pitifully under-developed scenes isn't a sign that Charles or director Kirrie Wratten have much faith in their material. Rightly so, as Jake, Luke, Leo, Mach, Pip and Ralph behave in ways that only ring true if you're a character in a badly-written play, with an infuriating habit of ending sentences on upward inflections.
None of these men convince either in their current situations, or with the back-stories that are laboriously trundled out. I suppose there's no reason why rich, middle-aged Leo shouldn't own a cake company, employ screaming queen Mach as a receptionist who touts for trade and allow bondage-fixated godson Jake to lounge at home, but I wasn't buying it.
One small spark of hope is the thoughtful performance of Jonathan Laury as Luke, nasty Jake's boyfriend. Luke, the only halfway likeable character, is treated abysmally, which sums the whole evening up.
Until 10 February. Information: 0870 163 0717.
Counterfeit Skin
The Courtyard
Bowling Green Walk, 40 Pitfield Street, N1 6EU
