Adrian Pagan's first and only play was originally produced at the Bush, London, in 1999, but he was apparently working on a TV pin-off when he died suddenly just over a year ago, aged 39. It's a pity it never happened because, while this is never meaningful theatre, it's a very funny tale of tiffs and tantrums that has real sitcom potential - and TV is surely ready for a comedy set in a male brothel.
Here in the backroom where the boys rest between clients, posh mixed-up new lad Charlie is finding his way, forming a tentative relationship with student Sandy. But a week is a long time in prostitution and, as Charlie rises to become top boy, musclebound deputy madam Dallas gets his claws out. Meanwhile, Madonna (a gay queen, not the queen of pop) flounces around, Paul tries to pay his child support but catches genital warts, and Scottish madam Gary begins an affair with a championship footballer.
Pagan's lack of writing experience is evident in the way he tosses out the one-liners - "prostitution is tax exempt because it is an essential service" - and pays too little attention to the central relationship to make the evening really satisfying. But if it's fluff, it's enjoyable fluff.
Although the show's final moments are the stuff of fairytale, the grimy upstairs room in this appropriately named venue certainly adds to the authenticity. Gareth Corke's revival is sometimes left fighting the cramped conditions; the audience are so close to the action that, in some cases, they are actually eyeballing the actors' crotches.
Pagan's career may be over, but several actors in this young cast may yet go far.
