Barely a fortnight after Ballkids and I’m back at fortyfivedownstairs watching another play about queer friendship. The theatre’s artistic director, Cameron Lukey, and I must have a shared interest.

Rhomboid follows the relationship of two boys from late high school, through university and into the ‘adult’ world, full of work and life decisions. It’s a pivotal time of growth, change and learning about how you want to live your life.

For Rhomboid’s protagonist, Xavier, this looks like trying to understand his relationship with Sebastian, which sits outside the heteronormative binary of platonic friend and romantic life partner.

If Ballkids reminded of 1980s chick flick Beaches, Rhomboid is more When Harry Met Sally. Everything old is new again!

Chad Rosete, Lawrence Hawkins and Ken Paolo in Rhomboid. Phtoto © George Jefford

It’s to Rhomboid’s disadvantage that I’ve watched it and Ballkids back to back. Eric Jiang’s writing is earnest, but the ideas he’s trying to explore are underdeveloped, and it takes about 30 minutes to get to the meat of the story. He touches on internalised racism when dating as an Asian-Australian, but it doesn’t go further than being pointed out in one scene.

And there’s no examination of Sebastian’s dating history, which consists entirely of Asian men (albeit it’s a small list of people). Jiang is primarily interested in exploring a relationship that sits outside the norm and changes over time.

Ken Paolo and Lawrence Hawkins in Rhomboid. Phtoto © George Jefford

The most interesting part of the production is how Xavier and Sebastian drift apart and attempt to patch things up, and it reconfirms my view that the relationship in Ballkids was sorely missing conflict. But any meaning or revelation in terms of alternative relationship styles gets lost in the characters’ (and maybe even Jiang’s) youthful inexperience, poetic diatribes and corny references to the show’s title. It results in Xavier and Sebastian being stuck in the familiar “will they, won’t they” tension.

That is not to say Rhomboid isn’t entertaining. It’s a fun, light watch, with ample laughs and a cast with great chemistry, led by Ken Paolo, playing the role of Xavier, who has charming comedic flair.

But the directing by Margot Morales offers nothing exciting, with characters moving around a pile of drama blocks, and, in comparison to Ballkids, the way Morales stewards the blocking, lighting, set and sound design comes across as pedestrian. And that includes the trendy but endlessly frustrating use of dramatic music during climactic moments.

Nevertheless, with quippy dialogue and a flirtatious thrum throughout the cast, rom-com lovers won’t be disappointed.

Rhomboid plays at fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne until 11 October.