Caught up in a baffling world

A spy thriller that wobbles from seeming sincerity to parody, it evokes a fictional MI5 in a world still beset by the cold war. The Alexander Litvinenko poisoning has ensured that the plot maintains a degree of relevance and Rachel Kavanaugh's stylish direction means that the dated elements are reinterpreted as film noir.

The fictional framework, however, is one in which plot metaphors fragment and reconnect within the space of a scene. The concept of quantum mechanics is cleverly pitched alongside that of dual personalities. 

MI5 spymaster Elizabeth Hapgood (Josie Lawrence) is both a biological mother and code-named Mother, while her son Joe shares his name with the slang term for defectors. 

To make matters even more confusing, the plot involves identical twins, both real and imaginary.

The confusion that this generates is partly planned, as the audience is meant to get a general rather than specific impression of what is happening. 

This intention is signposted from the opening scene, when briefcases and characters are shuffled back and forth in the men's changing room at a public swimming pool in a manner that's deliberately baffling.  

The scene highlights problems with the play, but it concurrently shows it at its best. The integral use of music and spotlighting coalesce perfectly in it, the smoky jazz being used both to set the action and add touches of Pink Panther comedy, while film noir bulbs illuminate certain parts of the stage. 

In the midst of this confusion, there are also flashes of witty dialogue and of difficult concepts being condensed into brilliantly accessible terms. 

The main conduit for this is Russian double agent-cum-metaphysicist Joseph Kerner (John Hodgkinson), who nearly steals the show with his explanation of matter and anti-matter while sitting on a bench at a zoo. 

The scene demonstrates his ability to convey the right balance between tough exterior and emotional warmth, which is something that Lawrence also excels at throughout in juggling her career with being a single mother.

But, despite fine acting and direction, the play's academic cleverness ultimately leaves one feeling unsatisfied. The deliberate obtuseness does succeed in reflecting a world that's often incomprehensible, but its lack of lucidity creates a situation in which matters are left frustratingly unresolved.

Plays until May 24. Box office: (0113) 213-7700.

SUSAN DARLINGTON