Jan Fosse's plays - pared-down encounters between people at crux points in relationships - can be transplanted virtually anywhere, which is certainly one of the reasons why he is said to be the most-produced playwright in contemporary Europe. Rachel West's production of his 2000 script, in a new version by Vincent Woods, marks Fosse's Irish premiere.
A 40-ish woman (Anne O'Neill), dressed in too-youthful urban gear and white high heels, talks to a man (Gary Murphy) whose drab trenchcoat and clunky briefcase signify "middle-management nobody". Her clothes mark her out as a prostitute, but the dialogue is heightened enough to make this feel like more than a pick-up.
He takes her to his hotel room (a smooth transition thanks to Monica Frawley's ingeniously adaptable set) and she strips down to her bra and panties, but things don't go further. We find out he is married, but are not confident that this is what holds him back.
The key to Fosse's project seems to be this ambiguity. He creates an uneasy balance between the stylised and the naturalistic, the archetypical and the specific, and leaves the audience to grapple not only with what is happening, but also with our tale-spinning instincts. O'Neill's stunningly focused performance, however, remains too much the centre of the final two scenes, in which she grows distant and the man pleads for a real relationship.
The final blackout came as a surprise, and the suspicion remains that Fosse creates stories that are too simple, stories that work everywhere and nowhere.
West, who co-produced with Project Arts Centre, is still to be credited for making a good fist of this first showing. More evidence, please.
· Until February 19. Box office: 00353 1 881 9613.
