There’s nothing better than a cosy night in with old pals, unless it’s a cosy night in with old pals and a new girlfriend. Douglas Maxwell’s script hits all the right spots in this sharply observed exploration of enduring friendship and grief. Beautifully directed and performed, touching and very funny, it’s unashamedly focused on the quiet dramas of the middle stages. 

The details make things sing: the ‘kids are out, let’s go’ sex that opens the show; newly widowed Milo (Nicholas Karimi) with his newly fashion-forward jeans; best friend Liane’s eldest-sister energy and certainty (a stellar turn from Lucianne McEvoy); her husband Davie (Andy Clark) drifting along the path of least resistance; and the comforting yet stultifying routine of a decades-long friendship. In-jokes, old stories, the standing order at the Chinese restaurant: all are present and correct. The only thing that’s missing is the deceased Helen, although of course she’s there in every beat and every carefully chosen cushion (Kenny Miller’s set is both clever and covetable). 

New girlfriend Greta (Yana Harris) explodes this familiarity like a wrecking ball: she’s so young, and they’re moving so fast (as confirmed by an audience that gasps aloud at every revelation). Yet, just when you think you know exactly where it’s going to end comes the twist. After all, our old friends are the ones that love us best and, in the end, this lot refuse to let each other go.

So Young, Traverse Theatre, until 25 August, times vary; main picture: Aly Wight.