Another Place (Plymouth Theatre Royal)

Following the critically-acclaimed The Empire, writer DC Moore and the Theatre Royal Plymouth team up again with Another Place.

Hmmm.

Despite being a triptych, this is a play of two, disconnected, halves.

Opening on a deserted Crosby Beach with only a barnacled Anthony Gormley statue witnessing the repartee, long-time friends Paul and Daniel are clearly on a boys’ weekend away.

The dialogue is engaging and character-revealing with humour and pathos in spades.

Acerbic teacher Daniel (Whatsonstage Best Actor nominee Robert Lonsdale fresh from Here to Eternity) is in love with his new daughter but not so keen on her mum just now. He’s clearly fed up with his lot and devastated to hear that cognitive behaviourist Paul (a compelling Robert Heaps) whose life he once saved, is heading – imminently – to India not for a gangbang but as part of an international Mars programme.

Religious Paul is passionate about his mission, creating mind space in space and escaping a planet Earth threatened by rising tides.

Halfway through, just as we are settled in and enjoying, it all changes. Garance Marneur’s silver-clad auditorium plunges into pitch darkness, bone-shaking music blares and the two large Perspex boxes sited at either end of the runway stage move closer (glad I was sitting dead centre else I suspect the view would be compromised).

Lights go up on a woman slumped in a chair questioned by Amy – Leah Brotherhead (next to reprise her Anne Boleyn on Broadway in Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies) – a scientist desperate to understand saboteur Natalia (Anna Elijasz ).

Stultifying dialogue, carefully placed high heels and brooding taciturn Andrei (Lonsdale) confuse as no obvious links can be found to the earlier light-hearted camaraderie other than this is Paul’s Mars mission.

More pitch blackness and blare, and the boxes take centre stage as twin Nina (Elijasz) and Paul slo mo their way to oblivion.

Disappointingly most unsatisfactory.

Another Place runs at Plymouth Theatre Royal's Drum until Saturday the 22nd November.