Atiha Sen Gupta’s first full-length play is a brave and timely exploration of the faultlines in our multicultural society. Its central question is this: why would a confident and popular Muslim A-level student abruptly choose to start wearing the hijab?

The issue is divisive. Answers come not from the young woman herself — Fatima, whom we never see — but from her friends and classmates. While one says that in her new guise Fatima looks likes a ninja, and another that she resembles “a fundamentalist postbox”, there are also more sophisticated readings of her unexpected decision.

Central to Sen Gupta’s play are themes of respect and cultural sensitivity. Yet for all its heavy arguments, this is hardly a po-faced piece. Instead there is a snappy sense of fun, which makes the provocative concerns seem approachable.

The world inhabited by Sen Gupta’s bouncily hyperactive teenagers may be convulsed by politics but it is also credibly replete with casual drinking, wicked banter and Facebook updates.

Although Kelly Wilkinson’s production is hardly subtle, it does prove bracing. The five young actors all give vigorous performances; the standout is Simon Coombs, energetic yet thoughtful as classmate Craig.

The play is a little too long, but
21-year-old Sen Gupta has crafted a topical debut that contains some memorably sharp dialogue — there’s a whiff of David Mamet — and engages fearlessly with a pressing subject.
Until 7 November. Information: 020 7722 9301.