Mr Marmalade at Silo Theatre

What kind of a society do we have when a 4-year-old has a coke-snorting, abusively violent imaginary friend? This is the question posed by Mr Marmalade, the Silo's latest black comedy.

Written by Noah Haidle, it's fresh from the US where it debuted last year, attracting talent like Michael C. Hall (David Fisher) from Six Feet Under.

The action takes place over one lonely night in New Jersey. Young Lucy is home alone again. Her solo mother is on a date and the babysitter is making out upstairs with her boyfriend. So there is plenty of time for Lucy to get into trouble with her imaginary friend Mr Marmalade.

Mr Marmalade has all the sparkling dialogue of a polished play, but its structure is more like an improvised piece with scenes that shift from the domestic to the imaginary and even the impossible without any real logic. It's a combination of styles that made me question what the playwright wanted us to think. Were we supposed to believe that the adults playing Lucy and Larry were really 4 and 5? Or perhaps they were drug-addled, damaged adults constructing their own reality to escape a dark and violent world. Either way Noah Haidle has plenty to say about the parenting skills in New Jersey, and none of it is good.

Directed by Michael Hurst, the Silo production is as energetic and physical as one of his own performances. He ensures his actors use their bodies as powerfully as their voices to deliver the dark emotions that lie underneath the cynical comedy.

In the central role of Lucy, a lot rests on Hannah Tolich's shoulders but she proves she is up to the task in a performance that captures both the light and dark of the piece. And she has her match in Paolo Rotondo who is heartbreakingly endearing.

In supporting roles, Paul Barrett is suitably down-trodden as Mr Marmalade's personal assistant Bradley. Lauren Jackson and Charley McDermott use accents and body language to successfully transform themselves in a variety of roles.

The stand-out performance is Andrew Laing as Mr Marmalade. He is frankly terrifying, somehow managing to be menacing and seductive at the same time.

All the action takes place in a nondescript lounge but a subtle forced perspective helps to add to the illusion that Tolich and Rotondo's adult-sized children are smaller than the adult characters. The most striking aspect of the design are Victoria Ingram's detailed costumes.

Mr Marmalade is well-directed with good pace, strong performances and sympathetic design. But like the breakfast spread, Mr Marmalade's loose structure and bitter aftertaste makes it something of an acquired taste.

Until April 15