Last of the Red Hot Lovers
Medway Little Theatre, Rochester

We've all been there, though we wouldn't admit it - stuck in a badly-furnished room with a lover we can't stand conversation with.

Medway Little Theatre's latest offering was a classic awkward comedy, depicting wistful 47-year-old Barney as he bumbles from one failed affair to the next at the end of the Swinging Sixties.

First there is the professional cheater Elaine (Elizabeth Taylor-Moon) and the airhead Bobbi (Jessica Hayhow).

Failing to sleep with either of them, he goes for a last-ditch effort with the only person more depressed than him - his best friend's wife Jeanette.

The amateur players pulled off a taut comedy which occasionally touched on the profound.

The pink-walled set of Barney's mother's apartment was less claustrophobic than it could have been, thanks to the easy rapport between the stars.

It was irritating how much the New York accents faltered, especially at the start, but otherwise the players could have been professionals.

Simon Watson was polished as Barney, the self-pitying, awkward fish restaurant owner.

And Stephanie Anderson stood out as the depressive Jeanette, whose downtrodden mannerisms were a masterclass in character acting.

One thing's for sure: it's put me off ever having an affair.

Dan Bloom