"The strength of this production is how honestly these changes are delivered by this wonderful cast"Louis Ashworth

Where would drama be without love stories? The perennial dramatic presentation of the boy meets girl, loses girl, gets girl idea dates back to the beginning of theatre. There are of course infinite variations, with the genders, ages, races mixed and matched into a blended pot of infidelity, obsession and passion. In a genre that is so well trodden, originality appears to be rare.

Thank goodness therefore for Neil LaBute's brilliantly refreshing and cynical play The Shape of Things. Overturning many of the conventions of romantic theatre, this hard-nosed piece refuses to bow to any sentimental ideals. The message is clear – love doesn't just change you, it can transform you. And you can end up very far from the person you thought you were, or wanted to be.

"The wonderfully confident and natural Katurah Morrish leads this four-hander at The Corpus Playroom"

The wonderfully confident and natural Katurah Morrish leads this four-hander at The Corpus Playroom, accompanied by Adam Mirsky, who play Evelyn and (the appropriately named) Adam respectively. We see their relationship grow and blossom, from a budding rose to a festering thorned briar. Mirsky plays the apparently hapless victim to Morrish's manipulation. How, we wonder, can he let her do this to him? How can he remain so calm and adorable while she twists his every thought round to her needs? She plays the predatory power with ease and humour, never appearing as one dimensionally calculating as could happen in less talented hands.

Equally, Mirsky has an effortless likeability, even when it is clear that he knows he is being moulded and distorted. The unconventional interaction of this pair owes a lot to the direction of Clara Van Wel, who maintains a reality and believability throughout the frustrating events which unfold.  Beth Hindhaugh and George Booth-Clibborn offer an alternative view of what a relationship could be, and each has a charming vulnerability that builds as we see their story unfold and crumble.

"The joy of the evening is watching Adam's transformation, and being horrified and frustrated at what we see"Louis Ashworth

The language is crisp and playful, with bouncing and swift exchanges. The stylised writing is well handled, particularly by Mirsky who makes it flow and live. The humour is sharp and piercing, and the cruelty of the power struggles is harshly played out. In the up-close setting of the Playroom, some emotions are perhaps a little overplayed, but on balance, things are pitched well. The design has a crisp and sharp aesthetic, (Joyce Lee, Jane Li, Greta Gillam Wright) reflecting the angular personality of Evelyn, and offering a solidness that contrasts with the relationships under scrutiny.

The joy of the evening is watching Adam's transformation, and being horrified and frustrated at what we see. Starting out as timid and seemingly content, he mutates under the influence of his lover. His appearance, his posture, his behaviour buckle and contort, until he is unrecognisable as the character who started out. The beauty of the writing is in the ambiguity of whether he is pushed, or whether he willingly jumps. And the strength of this production is how honestly these changes are delivered by this wonderful cast. If you know someone who is being transformed for the worse by a romance, then bring them along to see this dramatic gem