Fast Labour - TNT

It tackles important issues and is undoubtedly topical, but Steve Waters' new play suffers from being both predictable and formulaic. It begins promisingly enough with the arrival of Ukrainian Victor, dirty, bruised and without any papers, as part of a "consignment" of Eastern European workers allocated to a fish-processing factory in Scotland. The work stinks – in all senses of the word – and the already lousy pay is even lousier after gangmaster Grimmer has sliced off his substantial cut. So far so good, as is the unexpected invitation from lonely Human Resources Anita (a lovely warm performance of compromised integrity form newcomer Kirsty Stuart) who seduces him over a copy of his terms of employment.From there on, it's onwards and upwards for Victor as he works his way up to what he considers the top of a decidedly dodgy heap and, increasingly as he nears his goal, never mind whom he tramples on to get there.There's good work in the supporting roles (Joseph Kloska's Lithuanian Andrius unhappy about his new boss's progressively suspect practices, Roger Evans' rough, foul-mouthed Moldavian Alexei) and Simon Daw's design cleverlyuses video projections to chart their journey south. But although Waters succeeds in exposing the exploitation behind the cheap goods this country demands, and acknowledges the corruption of the system these economic migrants have left behind, ultimately his depiction of Victor's financial and moral trajectory lacks dramatic finesse.
Hampstead Eton Avenue, NW3. (020-7722 9301). Until June 21. Tickets £23-£14 (£11 for under 26s)