Justina Kehinde (Jodie) in How to Fight Loneliness [Mark Douet]

INSPIRED by the death of his mother, Neil LaBute’s latest play looks at the knotty subject of assisted dying which is largely illegal in the United States and criminalised here, but remains under hot debate.

Set in the US, Jodie (Justina Kehinde) has a stage-four brain tumour. She’s tired of the chronic pain, the endless chemotherapy and dealing with the emotional fallout as she waits to die.

So Jodie and her husband Brad (Archie Backhouse) have invited someone into their home who they hope can help them. Tate (Morgan Watkins), it turns out, figured in Jodie’s past.

Over the course of two hours (with an interval) the characters circle around the subject: our right to choose how and when we die. LaBute’s trademark stilted dialogue works well here, reflecting our own reluctance to discuss such thorny issues.

But after a while the conversations become repetitive. The main tension lies in Brad’s opposition to Jodie’s decision and there are only so many arguments they can have about this.

Although the character of Tate, his awkwardness, injects occasional humour, How to Fight Loneliness (the title comes from a song by Wilco) remains tonally in the same key, and despite Lisa Spurling’s steady direction, it’s a challenge to remain fully invested in their existential crisis for the play’s entire duration.

The central premise of the second half, when Jodie meets Tate on a deserted highway, lacks credibility and much of the final scene feels redundant.

The actors give committed, believable performances and La Bute raises interesting questions, but this timely, heartfelt drama needs trimming and more light to balance the shade.

Until May 24
Parktheatre.co.uk