A very lonely reality

In My Name is not only James Alexandrou's West End debut but the first full-length play from playwright Steven Hevey.

Alexandrou's Grim is a hapless layabout with few prospects, very little enthusiasm and a new ex-army housemate called Egg.

Set in Grim's grubby, pokey flat, the first and second acts feel like completely different plays. We start with an energy-packed encounter with Royal (Ray Panthaki), Grim's unwanted colleague who bursts in demanding dinner and games of Guess Who on the day of the July 7 bombings in London.

The tragedy taking place outside has had no impact on these two apart from the inconvenience of all takeaways being shut. Their apathy reflects the range of feeling in London at that time.

Egg is haunted by experiences past and the day's events drive him into tortuous memories, resulting in him kidnapping and threatening both Zaeem from the sole working takeaway and Royal.

It is here that the cast's acting talents really start to shine through. Panthaki goes from a ball of unstoppable energy to a dribbling sobbing mess and Adeel Akhtar's Zaeem flashes from baffled delivery man to a mocking ex-hostage.

Although it can be intense, there is a humour here grounded in the truth of real-life characters. Royal's a hard man with a hoodie and two mobile phones, he snorts cocaine and jokes about sex, but, in reality, he's lonely, he still lives with his mum and neither of his flashy phones actually works.

Hevey's dialogue is fresh and yet you've heard it all before. You feel as if you know these people, because they actually exist within a circle of friends, family or workplace.

The evening is rounded off with an emotional plea from Panthaki, the boyfriend to Brooke Kinsella whose younger brother was recently stabbed on London's streets. He links the play's themes with those haunting our young people - fear, apathy, the need to belong and senseless violence.

Plays until July 19. Box office: 0871 297 5461.