Unbroken TNT ***

Thursday 05 March 2009 10:32 GMT

Austrian dramatist Arthur Schnitzler’s turn of the century La Ronde has provided the inspiration for numerous playwrights - most recently Joe DiPietro whose F**king Men puts a snappy gay slant on a daisy chain of relationships which come full circle by the time the curtain falls.

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This article was first published on tntonline.co.uk on Tuesday 03 March 2009 12:03 GMT. It was last updated on Thursday 05 March 2009 10:32 GMT.

Apart from an implied suspicion of homosexual attraction, Alexandra Wood’s new cut-down dance/physical theatre version (lasting less than 50 minutes) is completely heterosexual. Economically staged, with just two performers playing three parts apiece (without even as much as a change of costume) Unbroken makes considerable demands on their ability to differentiate between the characters they portray. The actual seductions (evocatively choreographed by Ugo Dehaes) range from the tough to the tender and reflect the underlying emotions, but the delivery of the already underpowered dialogue fares less well.

Gemma Higginbotham proves more adept than hernmale counterpart - there’s little, vocally, to distinguish between the rockstar, infertile partner and unhappy husband with whom she couples.

The loveless staging, with the audience ranged in long rows facing the fist-punched, featureless backdrop, offers little joy and is a constant visual reminder that sex – perfunctory or otherwise - doesn’t always lead to happiness.

Gate, Pembridge Road W11 (020 7229 0706) Until 7th March (£16)