Sweet therapy for the young

It has to be confessed that the initial prospect of viewing a musical based on twentysomethings in group therapy promised little but a doomed voyage through the shallows of popular psychology that would finally and inevitably crash on the rocks of cliché. With Jerry Springer the Opera on at the National Theatre, one might ask, who needs another song-and-dance

bonanza about people hanging out their psychological underwear in public? It is a credit to this spunky young company that they come close to answering that question.

One might have worried that writer, composer and director Conor Mitchell would have considered therapy himself after realising that his first musical at the Edinburgh Festival mapped such similar territory to the show that was going to be hailed as one of the theatrical sensations of the year. However, at the age of 25, Mitchell need take no umbrage from the observation that his is a good, rather than a brilliant piece - which a finely honed cast brings to acid-tipped life.

"Maybe we all need to wear a flower some time. Who cares about hay fever when you've got hope?" is one of many quips that give claws to a quirky script. Initially the writing is competently witty rather than hilarious - it is largely after the interval that it gains momentum as, for instance, one woman, a vivaciously Cruella de Vil-style Barbara (Mary Moulds), boasts about her hate-mail habit, while a romantic anti-hero laments the loneliness of working as a carrot picker.

Sharply energetic choreography throughout and Adrian Sweeney's simple yet stylish lighting design add to the professional veneer exuded by Plug Productions. A crowd of enthusiastic laughing and cheering twentysomethings seemed to represent Mitchell's ideal audience right now - an audience that will no doubt accompany him far into his promising future.

Until 22 June. Box office: 020 7609 1800.

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