Four years ago, officials opening the doors of a lorry that had crossed the Channel made a grisly discovery. Inside were the bodies of 58 Chinese people who had tried to enter the country illegally. The driver had closed the air vents so the occupants would not be heard, causing all but two to suffocate. Like the more recent Morecombe Bay disaster, the Dover tragedy raised the profile of Chinese immigrants seeking a better life in Britain.
In 58, Kate has been seconded to the police to try to discover the identities of some of those who died. Kate's office, in Sigyn Stenqvist's clever design, also serves as lorry, filing cabinet and symbolic morgue. The dead are making their presence felt and when a young Chinese woman arrives to help Kate in her quest, ghosts begin to walk.
Produced by the East Asian company Yellow Earth, 58 is a heartfelt if clumsy attempt to bring alive the imagined stories of some of those who died. It mixes live action with film of China and vox pops that reveal people's attitude here towards would-be immigrants. As an educational tool the show might well be useful; as a fully fledged piece of theatre it is disappointing. Philippe Cherbonnier has written stereotypes and representative mouthpieces, not characters, and the plotting is improbable even before it introduces a paranormal subplot. The cast work valiantly to bring some credibility and dramatic energy to the evening, but although this show's heart is in the right place almost everything else about it is woefully inadequate.
· Until Saturday. Box office: 0870 429 6883.
