Untitled F**** M*ss S**gon Play - Royal Exchange Theatre

KIMBER Lee’s prize winning piece, currently receiving its world premiere at Manchester’s Royal Exchange, is one of the most breathtakingly original plaays I’ve seen for a very long time.

For the first 20 minutes or so I felt it was nothing more than a light-hearted send up of musicals like Miss Saigon and shows of their ilk.

But Lee intelligently uses these shows as the starting point to rail against Asian stereotypes, both on stage and in real life via a rather wonderful actress called Mei Mac.

Mac plays the heroine of the piece, Kim, and expends so much energy you’d be forgiven for thinking spontaneous combustion is a distinct possibility.

Her sense of timing is exemplary, as is that of the rest of the cast. But there’s nothing preachy or entitled about the remarkable writing of Kimber Lee and I guarantee at no point in the evening will members of the audience feel excluded even if they can’t instantly identify with Kim.

All you need to enjoy this is a sense of fairness and justice. But the writer handles her themes in a hugely entertaining way.

I also really enjoyed Tom Weston-Jones as Clark, the archetypal romantic hero when we first meet him.

This play is sure to live long in the memory and not just for the first and rather naughty word in its title.

I hope director Roy Alexander Weise have a huge hit on their hands especially in an age where too many theatres are too content to play it safe in terms of their programming.

Until July 22.

Highly recommended.

For tickets call 0161 933 9833 or visit royalexchange.co,uk.

Star rating - ****

Photo - Richard Davenport from The Other Richard