Scandaltown at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre review

It's bad luck for the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, that their new Mike Bartlett play is the last of the trio of productions written by him that have opened in close succession. Following the stylish Cock, about modern sexual mores, and the coruscating The 47th, a drama in Shakespearean blank verse about the threat to democracy from authoritarianism, Scandaltown feels a touch underwhelming.

It's shaped as a pastiche of a Restoration comedy, and it is, in truth, extremely funny at times. But it is more like a pantomime or even a fairy tale than a sparkling satire. Its targets, all given the names that define character, are pretty soggy and predictable

The stars catapulted to TV fame from the fringe

Lily Savage, The League of Gentlemen, Fleabag and a host of telly sensations started out on tiny stages at the extravaganza. In its absence, who will be next?