Not quite hardcore

Terry, a 36-year-old National Express bus driver from 'Claythorpes', dreams of becoming a lavishly endowed porn star. But no, this isn't a success story. Rather, it's a tale of small-town blues as Terry's dream is ignored by his old man and creepily endorsed by his aunt. Meanwhile, his estranged wife greets the idea with incredulity given his inability to get it up for her, let alone for a camera crew.

Nobody watches skin flicks for the plot and the same applies here. Adrian Berry's snappy dialogue amounts to the first act of a potentially hilarious drama. But for all its plain-speaking Yorkshire candour, both his play and characters exhibit an equally Yorkshire prudishness about sex. So instead of tumescing into a hardcore comedy about Terry's priapic ambition, it shrivels into a tale of guilty estrangement.

On the other hand, it's easy to imagine the author's mother feeling able to approve this warm-hearted yarn about gritty northerners. Berry directs his play slickly and sweetly, getting vigorous performances from all four characters, especially Andy Fox as his deadbeat hero with over-inflated fantasies of sexual potency. On top of this there is a cracking semi-porno soundtrack of 1960s-style lounge music by Barry Adamson of the great post-punk band, Magazine.