Some girl(s) park theatre

I didn't post immediately after seeing this (Thursday at first evening preview), as I was waiting to see if my impressions crystallised but they haven't. So, a very well-performed and designed production which I enjoyed as much as possible, though I was really struggling with the late hour - and the fact that on the night I went, the play overran by fully 10 minutes, which meant I was almost certainly going to miss the train home I should comfortably have caught.

I was waiting for the usual more acid approach I associate with Neil Labute's work and it took a while to materialise - not until the second half - though others may spot earlier signs and maybe with hindsight I could do the same. However, in this respect it really seemed to me a play of two halves, with the male protagonist becoming increasingly discomfited, and indeed wrong-footed, by the women from his past, to the point where his situation had been completely reversed from the positive, forward-looking start.

There was a huge amount of time-consuming set-changing between sections and the production therefore looked more expensive than usual in the smaller space at the Park Theatre. I would have preferred a simpler set - and after all, it's the words which count - and speedier progression but that's a minor quibble. I'm certainly glad I saw this and think it's well worth catching.