Les Chaises is the latest production from the Lumenis Theatre Company and consists of three new short plays which all involve chairs.

Clearance, written by Fiona Whitelaw and directed by Sharon Enav tells the story of a woman who struggles to sell her late father’s chair because of the emotional baggage attached to it. Ingrid Evans (Jean) paints a moving picture of spinsterly loneliness. The play really comes into its own in the scenes in which Jean and Alfie, the antiques dealer arranging the sale of the chair, engage in growing flirtatious banter through an exchange of emails.

Foreplay, written by Sue Lernier and directed by Amy Skilling follows a couple seeking advice from a sex therapist: Alistair wants a baby but Janey’s not so sure. The increasingly violent behaviour of the middle class couple is reminiscent of Yasmine Reza’s God of Carnage. Paul Innes (Alistair) steals the show with his comedic skill.

Attempts on a Missing Chair, written by Mary Mazzilli and directed by Mark Huhnen (who also performs in the piece), is described as “an absurdist and whimsical play” about an elderly couple whose grandson has disappeared. The elderly couple is played by young actors in heavy make-up and stylised costumes. Both the writing and the direction are deliberately alienating. This play appears to be the one closest to Lumenis’ philosophy and approach to theatre: this is not a play that seeks out to be liked or even fully understood by its audience.

The staging of short plays is inherently challenging. Clearance and Foreplay in particular suffer from containing too many short scenes intercut with blackouts which disrupt the flow of what are otherwise engaging and very human stories, supported by some good performances.

Les Chaises will be performed at the Southwark Playhouse 28 July at 1.15pm and as part of the Camden Fringe Festival, at the Camden People's Theatre 10-15 August. For more details about the summer tour, go to www.lumenistheatre.co.uk.