If it were not for the quality of the performances, you could be forgiven for thinking that Adrian Pagan's play, set in a male brothel in Earl's Court, came from the same stable as Prisoner: Cell Block H. It seems to reflect a growing preference at the Bush for plays that are above all flash and funny, even if they have nothing to say.
The Back Room is thoroughly entertaining, as you'd expect from a play that brings together a group of gay stereotypes involved in nefarious activities, locks them in a room together and then throws away the key. But however funny the dialogue, there is only so much bitching a girl can take, and by the second half, Pagan's wit and the play begin to deflate with all the allure of the banana-filled condoms on stage.
Part of the problem is that Pagan is more at ease with the stereotypes - the flouncing queen Madonna, the insecure, back-stabbing body-builder Dallas, and the manipulative madam Gary - than with characters who need a more delicate approach. The central relationship between compulsive liar Charlie and student Sandy, whose ambiguous sense of morality might be quite interesting if it were developed further, is so cursory that you don't actually give a damn whether they do or don't make a go of it - either in bed or in business.
An evening almost entirely devoid of substance or subject, this is like spending the night in front of the TV watching an X-rated gay sitcom. One for Kylie fans only.
Till August 14. Box-office: 0181-743 3388
