Although the title of Dan Rebellato's effortful would-be comedy tells us that it's Chekhov in Hell, it could be anyone waking after decades in a coma to witness some of the sorrier aspects of 21st-century Britain.
The whys and wherefores are left unwell alone, as Chekhov leaves hospital unsupervised and, in a succession of dispiriting scenes, discovers the dubious delights of self-help groups, lap-dancing clubs and reality television.
The cast of six work hard in Simon Stokes's increasingly desperate production but cumulatively it's like being clattered repeatedly over the head with a samovar. Simon Scardifield's Chekhov does little more than look benignly mystified and we long for this Hell to freeze over.
Until May 14. Chekhov (020 7478 0100, sohotheatre.com)
Chekhov In Hell
Soho Theatre
Dean Street, W1D 3NE
