Nicôle Lecky is a multi-talented 28-year-old Londoner who’s written for EastEnders spin-off E20 and appeared in a handful of TV dramas including Casualty and Fresh Meat. But here, performing her own raw and fiery solo piece, she’s a revelation — singing and rapping eloquently as she delivers a knotty, occasionally grim story with charismatic fluency. Lecky plays Sasha, a twenty-something from Plaistow who spends a lot of time nurturing musical ambitions. But when she falls out with her mother and is ignored by her long-standing boyfriend, she has to fend for herself. Crashing on an acquaintance’s sofa, she discovers that it takes more than her customary aggression and wry perceptiveness to keep her afloat.

First she stumbles into performing erotic acts on webcams for paying punters. Then she’s seduced by the idea of life as an Instagram celebrity, yet instead finds herself drawn to being an escort. It’s a lucrative opportunity, but one that exposes her to the risk of manipulation, particularly given that she now has no support network. Sasha’s journey prompts sobering thoughts about the male gaze, Britain’s “hidden” homelessness and the questionable dividing line between empowerment and exploitation. But it also boasts some very funny moments, and the musical elements that Lecky has created with Hakney-based DJ The Last Skeptik are buzzy highlights. 

★★★★☆ - Henry Hitchings - Evening Standard