How would we cope if all electrical power just stopped? Not well, probably. Australian playwright Stephen Sewell certainly thinks so. The panic sets in fast in his sharp comedy when arts journalist Franklin and radio producer Beth (Joseph Kloska and Emma Pallant) — navel-gazing New Yorkers living in Melbourne — realise their power is out and not another living soul can be seen from their window.
Perhaps the world has ended. “Who will read my article?” asks Franklin, aghast. They’re not lone survivors, however, and their home is invaded by Bill (John Bowler) and Pearl (Cate Debenham-Taylor), an odious Aussie couple, all smiles and condescension.
The four actors have great chemistry and Sewell’s fast-paced script allows them to show off their keen comic delivery. Sadly, the play takes a last-minute swerve in the wrong direction with an unconvincing plot twist and a tacked-on sanctimonious message. OK, OK, I’ll recycle.
It’s a shame David Antrobus’s production finishes like this; at least earlier threats of pomposity were offset by cracking one-liners: “I’ve had enough introspection. Let’s just set them on fire.” By the end it’s as if Sewell has forgotten his own advice.
Until March 8 (020 8940 0141, orangetreetheatre.co.uk)