No doubt you’ll be familiar with the publicity for this play: it’s hard not to notice pink posters bedecked with underwear-clad students. And this play is a rarity in Cambridge in that it gives exactly what it offers on the poster: partial nudity, for the first fifteen minutes at least, and absurdity. My only other exposure to Philip Ridley’s plays is Mercury Fur, staged in the same space last February, which remains one of the most powerful productions I’ve seen during my time in Cambridge. This had a lot to live up to and, for the most part, delivered in spades.

All five of the actors deserve a mention: Seth Kruger as the scantily clad Cougar Glass, Ryan Monk’s sympathetic Captain Tock, Beth Dubow (particularly impressive as a last minute replacement) and Adam Mirsky's infuriating young couple, and Ola Wetherell’s superlative cameo as the elderly Cheetah Bee. I was uncertain of some of the performances at first – both the Captain and Dubow’s Sherbet felt forced and caricatured – but with time they grew on me, proving to be nuanced and subtle performers. Kurger’s Cougar felt slightly too wild at times, with an illogically explosive temper, yet the strength of his second half, spent mostly in silence, gave depth to a complex character. Numerous monologues feature throughout the script and were all delivered with panache: a special mention should go to Ola Wetherell for hers.

The overall production was well thought out and cohesive. An impressive kitchen set (for the Corpus Playrooms at least) made a fitting backdrop; the dilapidated sofa might have been more effective had it not broken during the performance. Limitations of the space - namely, the restriction on any flames - gave the lighting of the birthday candle’s an unnecessary surreal dimension; but little details, such as party hats and porcelain birds, made up for such shortcomings.

A few little tweaks could have made a huge difference, though. The bald Captain Tock was just wearing a hat over a full head of hair: investment in a bald cap could have made a real difference. The small amount of fight choreography needed some work, too, as it was far from convincing. As with many opening nights, there were many fumbles and missed cues but I’m sure this will be ironed out in no time. My biggest gripe was the pacing of the production: at almost two hours, without an interval, it began to drag by the end. A good production should never have you wanting it to end as soon as possible. The peaks of crippling uncertainty and electric tension collapsed into troughs of boredom. A bit of trimming of the script could improve this play ten-fold.

Overall, though, this is a really good show. Funny, dark, chilling, uncomfortable, engrossing: the list of adjectives could stretch on for much longer. Be warned, though, it’s not for the faint hearted.