Fine Mess Theatre’s The Common Land and Otherplace Productions’ new Theatre Box space is a perfect marriage.

The one-man show could have been designed for the intimate black box, with Joel Samuels able to look the audience right in the eye as he tells his story of bullying, abuse, first love and revenge.

Growing up in The Holy Land Of England, young Tom is the son of an alcoholic casual labourer, suffering major upheavals every time he moves home within the 1,500 square miles of The Fens.

The only two constants in his life become Leah, his best friend and confidante, and the merciless bully Scarface.

Tom’s tale is stark and brutal in its simplicity – the audience winces at the youthful injustices he suffers, and feels his joy when things go right.

But ultimately this is a story of smalltown frustration, of an inability to escape in one of the most open and deserted areas of the country.

Samuels’s passionate delivery brings us into this bleak world, aided by simple but effective lighting effects, especially in the climactic revenge scene.

It is a tour de force performance, laced with black humour and unforgettable imagery.

Four stars