If the world as we know it were to end tomorrow, what would you do? Would you smartly ration and scrape by, rarely washing in tattered clothes? Or, given the opportunity, would you carry on as normal?

Written by Finlay Bain, Living A Little is the story of the apocalypse after-party. After an unexplained zombie virus seems to have overtaken the earth, flatmates – the rather camp and slightly sensitive Paul (Paul Thirkell), and the muscular and sexually charged Rob (Finlay Bain) – have all the resources they need to live a life of luxury. But when Penelope (Jessica Manning) comes bursting through the door, everything changes.

Bain’s writing has a unique humour about it, somehow simultaneously silly and witty. He steals the show as Rob, flying over the settee and launching into press-ups at the sight of Penelope. His comic timing is impeccable. As he bounces around between the furniture shouting ‘fanny’ in his thick Scottish accent and fly-kicks a Jenga tower, his tongue-in-cheek gags are the sort that make you roll your eyes whilst trying not to laugh. He’s lovably annoying, like a little perverted brother, and he is the driving force of the show.

While the zombie apocalypse setting is a tired and somewhat overused one, Bain has added some original new ideas to the genre that freshen it up. Initially, it’s not all doom and gloom. It’s a literal party, and as the characters discuss the things they don’t miss about the pre-apocalyptic world, they almost make it look fun. Almost.

Thirkell is engaging and theatrical as Paul, if a little cringeworthy at times. But this may be due to his introduction of the word ‘bae’ to the ‘things we don’t miss about the world’ discussion – which alone is enough to make anyone cringe. Manning is stern and strong as Penelope, who hardened by circumstance, puts the boys through their paces.

Directed by Jordan Murphy, Living a Little initially does a good job of poking fun at a bleak situation. But as the play progresses, it grows heavier. As things take a turn for the worst, the jokes become sparse. It’s miles away from the fast-paced slap-in-the-face comedy it began as. It gets very dark, very fast, ending on a rather solemn note.

Suddenly a world filled with ‘bae’, Twitter, Trump, and Brexit seems heavenly. If you’re looking for a light-hearted play to make you chuckle, Living a Little might not be for you. But what Living a Little does is wipe away any lust for a destroyed society. No, an apocalypse wouldn’t be cool. No, beating off zombies wouldn’t be fun. It would be dreadful. I would rather have Trump and power-hungry politicians, any day.

Living A Little is played at The Vaults until 26 February as part of The Vaults Festival. For more information about the production, see here.