Subs is a comedy that dots its "i"'s and crosses its "t"'s. RJ Purdey's script is fresh, well-timed, and laugh-out-loud funny.

Set in the sub-editing offices of "Gentlemen Prefer..." a stylish men's magazine, the sub-editors have tedious, thankless jobs that, along with the magazine, are under threat in a digital age. Derek, the Chief Sub-Editor, thinks he's next in line to get promoted to Deputy Editor and is making plans for his future. He's been pushed to the edge by his deputy, Finch, who is stuck in a rut and desperately single. Toss in a good looking, ambitious office junior, and then the unthinkable (a woman), and the tension between Derek and Finch builds to a tragic and hilarious conclusion.

Despite the heat under the lights in a small theatre the actors didn't miss a beat and the banter between Derek (Euan MacNaughton) and Finch (Michael Cusick) was electric. It defies belief that this is Cusick's first role out of drama school. His flawless delivery of the brilliant, fast-flowing dialogue gifted to the socially-inept and garrulous Finch allowed the script to be shown in its full morning glory.

Whilst at times there was some "In the Thick of It" style swearing and post-watershed humour, which may not be for the easily offended, the sweary bits were never gratuitous and always hilarious. Special mention must be made for lighting, music and set-design. The Christmas party scene wouldn't have been the same without Last Christmas and Gold filtering into the subs office.

If I had one criticism it was that I wasn't sure if the director had anticipated quite how potent the material was. At times, the audience's laughter drowned out some of the follow-up lines but thankfully no plot points were missed. Going by the applause at the end of the night, I wasn't the only one who'd been wowed by the performance and left wanting more.

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Shatterbox Theatre Company's one-hour play "Fair Trade" aims to "uncover the reality of sex trafficking". The play uses verbatim testimony from two survivors, alongside scenes that illustrate the myths and misconceptions surrounding the industry. Cleverly staged within the steel parameters of a storage lorry, scenes that vary from being shocking, to amusing, to touching, to depressing are played by a versatile cast who step into a dizzying array of roles with apparent ease.

Prostitution is a trade that's been glamorised and mythologised for centuries - there are characters ranging from Nancy in Oliver Twist, to Vivien in Pretty Woman, and most recently of course Belle in Secret Diary of a Call Girl. It has always been rather unfashionable to focus on the degradation, humiliation, abuse and conditions of servitude that are more regularly connected with the job. By using some effective staging and simple scenes, the play refocuses the audience's attention however. A scene where a Del Boy style market trader auctions off drugged and traumatised women illustrates the slavery involved in sex trafficking clearly and shockingly (- somewhat horrifyingly, on the night I saw it, there were titters of amusement among the audience at the trader's patter as he lowered one of the girls' ages from 16 to 14 in order to garner a higher price). A later sequence that demonstrates the endless stream of customers the women are forced to have sex with left the room uncomfortably silent, and the play's powerful ending moved several to tears.

The play makes clear that with the Olympics less than two years away, this issue is going to become more and more relevant to the UK, as its effects come ever closer to our daily lives. Although this country's attitude towards immigration is confused at the best of times, we have a duty of care to one another regardless of where we come from, and the human stories told in "Fair Trade" demonstrate the need for understanding and compassion towards those who have been abused. Sex trafficking is an international business that must not be tolerated, and by literally giving two of the survivors their opportunity to speak out, Shatterbox have produced a very important piece of theatre. As such, it is easy to overlook a shaky M&S parody sequence that included a couple of inexplicably tasteless poses, and slightly cliched early scenes depicting the characters' backgrounds. Ultimately, this is a highly intelligent and vital production that responsibly achieves its aim, and will surely garner deserved acclaim during its run at this year's Edinburgh festival.

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The Philanderer is a mesmerizing and thoughtful comedy of wit and words staged and directed superbly buy the Sell a Door company. If you are a fan of farcical situations then this is the play for you.
We are immediately plunged into a dramatic love triangle between Leonard Chartris (played by the enthralling Michael Longhi) who wishes to marry Grace Tranfield ( Sarine Sofair). However, his current girlfriend, Julia (Kelli White) won't give him up. Throw in the complications of the two girls' fathers and a lovesick suitor for Julia in the form of Dr Paramore and comedy rises with the tempo of this frenetic show.

Any show like this depends on the strength of the cast as well as the script and The Philanderer does not disappoint. Michael Longhi is pitch perfect as Charteris, the titular 'hero'. The way Charteris desperately and energetically slinks and slides around the set, trying to escape Julia's claws and leap into Grace's arms is mesmerising. For her part, Sarine Sofair plays Grace with the elegance and poise that is steely and essential for the success of the play. Much of the emotional punches come from Julia, played by the skilled Kelli White who puts her all into a part that could easily become either a simple figure of fun or so irritating as to make Dr Paramore's affection for her seem unlikely. Robert Rowe and Marcus Taylor are marvelous as the older generation of gentlemen, fathers to the two ladies in the triangle and drawn into the shenanigans.

All the aspects of the play have been well managed by the direction of Bart Williams, meaning that that the production is greater than the small fringe theatre it plays in. The play never ramps up to truly farcical proportions but that is because George Bernard Shaw clearly had more of an agenda than that. He seems to love playing around with the socials changes happening in the 1890s. But despite that script and setting being firmly in the past, it is surprising how much is relevant today and how ahead of the times Shaw was and that is the true power of The Philanderer in 2010. Being able to bridge all this is the triumph of the production, so if you are a fan of wit and wordplay then I urge you to see it while you can.

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