Anna Bamberger as Evelyn and Sean McConaghy as Adam. Production photo by Maximillien Spielbichler

The few Neil LaBute plays I've seen have been distinctive for having obnoxious characters - he seems to be a master at writing them. The Shape of Things, which is being revived at the Arcola Theatre, is no different.

Here the obnoxious characters are Evelyn (Anna Bamberger) a confident and knowingly beautiful art student and Philip (Séan Browne) the equally confident and handsome friend of Adam (Sean McConaghy), who is the protagonist.

Adam is a nerdy, awkward, plain student who works in a museum to pay his college fees. He's the sort of person that someone like Philip hangs around with in order to feel superior and similarly for someone like Evelyn he is impressionable.

Evelyn meets Adam at the museum and flirts with him despite his social clumsiness. They date and a relationship develops during which, through Evelyn's influence, Adam starts taking care of himself, changes his styling and hair and ditches his contact lenses.

The makeover gives Adam confidence, something that impresses Philip and his fiancé Jenny (Harrie Hayes) although they aren't so impressed with Evelyn who becomes forthright and argumentative. But that isn't the only thing about Evelyn, there is something that doesn't quite ring true about her that is hard to pin point and her personality becomes as destructive as it is constructive.