Sex with Strangers Second Edition at Herald Theatre

I can recommend sex with strangers as a fun, enjoyable way to spend an evening. Directed by Colin Mitchell, Sex with Strangers Second Edition is, as the name suggests, the follow-up to the sell-out first season. It features a series of new vignettes that explore what happens after strangers have sex.

The premise of this show is similar to David Hare's The Blue Room. Both plays explore issues of trust, loneliness and relationship power struggles by highlighting how sex doesn't guarantee intimacy, although Sex with Strangers is a lighter night of entertainment.

It features an ensemble cast of 12 actors, ranging from experienced professionals Stuart Devenie and Jennifer Ward-Lealand to newcomers Michael Koloi and Jaxin Hall.

All manner of relationships and sexual preferences have a workout in the seven stories.

Anyone easily offended by bad language and bad behaviour should probably stay away, as should anyone wanting to perve - the actors stay firmly dressed in their pyjamas.

Most of the stories are played for laughs and the performances often feel like a stand-up sketch . All feature cracker one-liners and some beautiful writing.

The all-white stage with its large bed and white, draped screen backdrops gives few clues about what is happening at the start of each scene. Instead, Jane Hakaraia's lighting, Sasha Childer's AV projections, Drew McMillan's sound composition and the skill of the actors bring the characters to life.

While I enjoyed all seven stories, some felt too much like a skit being set up to reveal a funny twist. The stories that engaged on a deeper level stood out.

In the first of my favourites, Toby Leach and Fleur Saville are a young couple winding down after a one-night stand. What starts as light-hearted banter about sexual good manners turns into a crazy battle of the sexes, with Fleur Saville turning from airhead blonde to sexual warrior in a scene-stealing performance.

The second concerns a university professor with a balloon fetish (Peter Daube) and a prostitute played by Danielle Cormack. They take what seems like an unusual situation and make it poignant and real.

Sex with Strangers is fun and funky. It's a tasting platter for people who want a range of flavours without being weighed down by a hearty meal.

When: Until December 17