Paldem ****

Paldem appears to be the story of a young couple, enjoying modern life with a healthy and vibrant sex life. Things take a turn, however, when Kevin (Michael Workeye) records one of these sessions with Megan (Tash Cowley) on his video camera. It is a little unclear whether this was unintentional and whether it was livestreamed via OnlyFans (a subscription-based pornography internet platform).

Whatever the intention, Megan is turned on by the idea and curious to explore further. The toothpaste can no longer be put back into the tube, and they inexorably dive down the paid-content rabbit hole. They begin streaming and success follows. They have more than 100,000 subscribers and are trending on various tags.

And yet… how comfortable are they with their new world? The uncertainty ramps up when they agree to a foursome with an Italian couple (Lewis Peek and Daniela Manuwuike). As the Italian couple wait at the door, there are clear tells that they have not thought everything through. The Italians’ obvious comfort with this streaming and promiscuous environment is in sharp contrast with Kevin and Megan’s hesitancy.

Time marches on. Kevin tells Megan he has a date later. Evidently their relationship is polyamorous, yet there is something unsaid in the stilted subsequent conversation, Kevin later conceding that he has invented the date.

Megan, it subsequently transpires, is now in a relationship of sorts with George, a man of whom Kevin is contemptuous. But there is a further revelation to come, stretching whatever relationship they still have to its limits.

This staging is bold, and credit to Zi Alikhan for the pace of the production. The script can perhaps be tweaked and will doubtless find its sweet spot.

There is more than a hint of Pinter’s Betrayal embedded in this tale, not just at the heart of the story but in the silences and pauses, beautifully played by Cowley and Workeye. Paldem is a highly contemporary comedy-drama, but with age-old themes at its core. While it ostensibly is a glimpse into the voyeuristic world of online streaming, the essence of the play is the relationship between Megan and Kevin. Initially, they are playful and symbiotic, later uncertain, strained and dishonest. The arc of their relationship is adeptly performed, and its disintegration laid bare in the charged final moments.