Turning thirty. For those about to, it can render them a quivering ball of existential neuroses. For those of us who have, we wonder what the hell everyone was on about. It would be easy to look at the indulgently nostalgic protagonists of Kate Heffernan’s new play and dismiss them cynically as over-grown children who should just quietly turn thirty and get on with it. But if this production says anything, it’s that people rarely feel like they’ve completely assumed adulthood, and most of us navigate the adult world feeling like utter fakes.

David (Robert Bannon) and Emily (Marie Ruane) are twenty-nine and are preparing for the inevitable entry into their fourth decade as human beings. Having met at a mutual friend’s thirtieth birthday, David pursues Emily via her blog where she counts down the thirty things she wants to accomplish before she turns the dreaded 3-0. Acting undercover as an anonymous commenter, David steers her towards ‘chance’ meetings with him in order to get to know her better.

Heffernan’s plot hews very well to the classic ‘boy meets girl’ story arc so beloved of rom coms. This isn’t a bad thing. In spite of its predictability, the plot, aided by Bannon’s and Ruane’s performances, keeps you engaged. Maisie Lee’s direction also keeps the action moving smoothly, and Stephen Dodd’s lighting design shifts us from location to location seamlessly. Musical director Tom Lane’s arrangements of hits from the early eighties, played with what sound like synthesized ukuleles, are an ironic delight.

Star rating: ★★★★