References to Joe Orton and the musical Cabaret arise appropriately in Samuel Adamson's darkish romance Clocks and Whistles. Given the unconventional ménage à trois that emerges, theatregoers may wonder why Adamson hasn't also included a reference to Noël Coward's Design for Living.
At the center of the play are best friends Anne and Henry. Henry, still determining his sexual preference, has just met Trevor, a man with a voracious sexual appetite and a habit of "acquiring people." Although head over heels for this would-be poet, Henry keeps Anne and Trevor apart, sensing that Trevor's unusual charms might be too alluring for aimlessly unambitious actor Anne. Henry's instincts prove to be on target, because once these two meet, they develop a relationship that threatens all friendships.
As the play unfolds, moving through the characters' apartments as well as London's pubs, theatres, and parks — Lex Liang's flexible set allows director Talya Klein's production to shift easily in an awkwardly elongated storefront space — we increasingly appreciate Adamson's theatrical references. Jerzy Gwiazdowski's lanky, impish Trevor certainly brings to mind Orton. The nonsexual but intensely charged camaraderie that Meghan Andrews' easily sensual Anne and David Mawhinney's sweetly confused Henry enjoy certainly has echoes of Sally and Cliff in Cabaret (Mawhinney even resembles a young Michael York).
As they navigate toward Adamson's terrifically ambiguous conclusion, the trio's actions are observed with keen interest by Anne's oily benefactor, Alec (an able Christopher Randolph, after overplaying in early scenes), and with jaded diffidence by Trevor's neighbor Caroline (played with impressive nuance by Catherine Eaton).
Klein's staging emphasizes the principal characters' nonchalant approach to life, and this choice underscores one of the script's chief weaknesses: The story digresses too often. Nonetheless, the performers make Adamson's casual dialogue crackle, turning this into a satisfying trip into 21st-century sexual coupling.
Presented by Origin Theatre Company in association with Elizabeth Vardin Newman Productions at Chashama, 217 E. 42nd St., NYC. May 9-21. Tue.-Sun., 8 p.m. (212) 869-4444 or www.smarttix.com.