The blurb for Peacock, the latest offering from production company Greedy Pig, reads:

“When Seamus came out as bi, he thought he’d finally worked everything out. But when he starts experimenting with makeup and falling in love, he finds himself propelled into a messy journey of discovery about what it means to be a man who sometimes wants to be both masculine and pretty.”

This sounded immediately intriguing to me, I wrongly assumed it would be a one-man show, recounting a litany of experiences from deep within a singular perspective. It would find its universality in how authentically it articulated this man’s fears and desires. Granted, it’s a lot to project on a sparse bit of marketing material, and unsurprisingly, Peacock did not quite match my expectations.

So what’s the story? Seamus (a sweetly tentative performance from Ben Armitage), as mentioned above, works in a new age-y shop with his mates, the cheery Violet (Alexandra Wollacott) and the sardonic Tyrell (Kofi Dennis), the latter of whom does drag and harbours a crush on Seamus. The plot involves a will-they-won’t-they romcom aspect between the two boys and is lent structure and dance sequences by Tyrell rehearsing and performing multiple drag numbers. There’s also extra tension provided Violet running for the Parish Council, Seamus struggling with a culture ambivalent to bisexuality, and Tyrell trying to gain the acceptance of his macho older brother. And a comic relief in Noah (a perfectly pitched Toby Mitchell), the hapless-bloke customer of their shop that eventually becomes a regular, then a friend.

There’s a good ear to the writing, which has sweetness and genuinely funny lines, and the actors all bring sincere warmth to their characters, but the direction falls flat at times. There’s something ‘three-camera sitcom’ in the slightly stagey way the characters deliver their lines, which undercut their humour for me. It made it seem less believable, as did the needlessly intricate plot. It’s as though the writer sat down and methodically plotted out a story - subplots and all - to graft his message onto.

And, make no mistake, it’s an important message. The play was developed with the support of HUMEN, a charity working to improve male mental health, and I don’t doubt for a second that the issues these characters raise are real and sensitively portrayed. That said, while the plot winds its way through its arc, the character’s emotions are far less complicated. It touches on many issues, but there’s little in the way of subtext. The characters straightforwardly describe to us the insecurities and struggles they’ve experienced. It deals with all its themes with a featherlight touch. I didn’t feel like I had enough of a chance to bond with the characters outside of their roles in the plot.

The result of all the above is sort of like binging a whole season of a light, summery teen show - after copious misunderstandings, hijinks and a lot of laughs, all conflicts are neatly resolved.

While undeniably joyous, there was also a disappointing lack of care put into choreographing Tyrell’s drag routines, which frustrated me as they form important punctuation in the emotional arc of the story and because Dennis was clearly committed to delivering a series of great performances. Violet, meanwhile, played by real-life Drag King Wollacott, had a natural fluidity that felt underutilized, and made the repetitive movements of Tyrell’s routines feel less impressive by comparison.

On a technical level, at least, the show excelled. The set, costume, lighting and sound design were all very polished, with smooth costume changes, and buoyant, sleek use of music and light.

Perhaps if I’d gone in expecting a fun, frothy queer romcom, I’d have been more dazzled.

I suspect there are also going to be young adults who see this show and find it extremely validating. It’s unapologetically hopeful and gentle, and for some, that will leave them feeling that they’ve witnessed more than an uplifting if an unmemorable foray into these themes. For Greedy Pig, this feels to me like a solid, warmhearted work, a step on the way to more impactful productions.