Paul Keating in Clive [Ikin Yum]

THOMAS (Paul Keating), an IT support specialist, works from home. He’s barefoot, dressed in a white shirt and boxers, adding a tie for Zoom meetings.

Michael Wynne’s one-person play, Clive, is set in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Thomas’s company has recently restructured and they keep letting go key members of staff. Thomas worries he may be next.

He spends his days (and sometimes his nights) glued to his laptop, eager to please, always ready to help. The rest of the time, he watches his neighbours, plays video games, chats to the giant eponymous cactus that dominates the room, and cleans… obsessively.

Over the course of 65 minutes, it becomes clear that Thomas has OCD and other vulnerabilities that gradually surface. He clings to routine and order, relying on various appliances to meet his needs. When one malfunctions, he quickly starts to unravel.

Wynne’s bittersweet play gently probes the psychological toll of isolation in an era of hybrid and remote working, while also exploring our growing dependence on technology – often at the expense of human connection.

Mike Britton’s gleaming wall cupboards conceal the sparse paraphernalia of Thomas’s life – mop slippers, bleach, cans of beans, and a laser-precision vacuum cleaner.

But Wynne circles round his themes – loneliness, workplace bullying, social withdrawal – without ever fully developing them. Despite moments of emotional insight, there’s too much exposition, and watching someone clean is like watching paint dry.

Still, it’s easy to empathise with Thomas, and Keating delivers a moving performance, capturing the fragility of a man who wears his insecurities on his sleeve. Lucy Bailey makes good use of the studio space and expertly navigates the play’s tonal shifts.

until August 23
arcolatheatre.com/