It comes from Tierra del Fuego and has been called the most succinct word in the world. It describes that familiar situation where two people look at each other "hoping that either will offer to do something which both parties much desire, but are unwilling to do". In a series of offbeat scenes and sketches, Eliza Langland's play explores a variety of mamihlapinatapai moments - from a platonic friendship teetering on the edge of something more romantic, to a fraught gladiatorial encounter in the Coliseum.