A lot goes on in Peter Hamilton’s new tragicomedy, The Elephant in the Room – but oddly it feels at its strongest when not much is happening at all. It’s in these quieter moments that the quality of the writing is able to shine through, and we get to know most about the characters, while other, more action-packed scenes often feel a little rushed. Whether this is a deliberate choice or not is unclear, but it gives both the play and its audience a feeling of being always slightly off balance.

While on a trip to India, 19-year-old Ashley Davenport (Fraser Anthony) meets Yama, King of Death and the Underworld, an encounter that prompts him to renounce – at least in his head – his life and substantial inheritance, and check himself into the Gethsemane Garden Village Retirement Home. Here he meets fellow residents Rosie (Josie Ayers), Johnny (Craig Crosbie), Judith (Kristin Milward) and David (Stephen Omer), who are more than a little dismayed to see someone so young give up on his life before it’s even begun.

In its depiction of the older residents, with their meandering conversations and often humorously blunt reflections on both life and death, the play makes for enjoyable viewing. The actors are clearly having fun – particularly Craig Crosbie as Johnny, who may be in his 90s but still has an eye for the ladies and isn’t afraid to say so, and Stephen Omer as joyously downbeat former librarian David. Among the laughs there are some genuinely touching moments, not least when Judith decides – not for the first time – that she’s ready to meet the angels, and reminisces with close friend Rosie about old acquaintances while the other characters listen from her bedside.

These scenes are in stark contrast to those involving the other characters: nurse Mr Krish (Yasser Kayani) – a “mild alcoholic” who’s so delighted to meet in Ashley a fellow traveller on the spiritual path that he inadvertently brings about his own downfall, and staff members Miguel (Baptiste Semin) and Kim-Ly (Lee Jia-Yu), both illegal immigrants with traumatic pasts who deal with their situation in very different ways – he through religion and baking, she by setting her sights on an unsuspecting Ashley. These stories, unlike the dialogue-heavy scenes featuring the older characters, sometimes move so fast you can blink and miss a crucial plot development, and the seriousness of their themes sits uncomfortably next to the mostly light-hearted banter of moments earlier.

Amidst all this we learn very little about Ashley, ostensibly the central character, apart from the fact that he owns a very nice house in Basingstoke which has an elephant in it. As a character, Ashley contributes little to the plot himself, becoming instead a vehicle that drives the other characters in unexpected directions – and he ultimately ends up regretting his decision to give up on life after having all agency taken away from him in the play’s closing moments.

The production is well directed by Ken McClymont, making efficient use of the limited stage area by means of some white blocks and hospital screens. Occasional projections of the eponymous elephant during key moments heighten the tension, and also provide a dramatic entrance for the visiting deity Yama. All the actors give good performances, though the imbalance in the script means the younger cast members have significantly less material to work with than their older counterparts, and their characters feel underdeveloped as a result.

All in all, The Elephant in the Room is an interesting play that asks some big questions and tackles some serious themes. There are some lovely moments and some laugh out loud lines, and as a comedy about older people’s often irreverent views on life, it works well. In contrast, the darker aspects of the plot are more perplexing and feel like they need development to bring the whole play together into a more balanced whole.

The Elephant in the Room is at Theatre at the Tabard until 2nd December.