Dev’s a small town boy, certain that he’s destined for bigger and better things than the shack at Margate’s seafront. Aged 12, he realises he’s gay and spends his teenage years shapeshifting through school, chicken nugget dates under the Golden Arches, and his eventual escape to university. Dogged all the way to London by the idea that he doesn’t quite fit in, Dev tries his best to make his dreams come true but will the streets of Soho really be paved with gold?

Is The Wifi Good in Hell? is writer / performer Lyndon Chapman‘s first play, developed through Soho Theatres Writers Lab. It’s an astute, economical script that explores the parallel tension that comes from a once down-at-heel seaside town finding its way in a fast-evolving world, alongside Dev’s evolution from sheepish shy boy to (moderately more) self-assured man. Chapman’s an endearing performer, pivoting in a heartbeat from gawky awkwardness to elegant aplomb, to a breathtaking loneliness. Most of his story is told with an ironic detachment that doesn’t lessen the punch but makes the occasional swipes to the ‘real’ Dev, all the more affecting.

The staging is classic Fringe – two boxes and a succession of lighting and sound cues (Damian Pace) to mark the changes in tone – but Will Armstrong‘s direction is restrained enough to let the script take flight. If you appreciate a trigger warning, it’s a bit of a spoiler but you might want to know that the script features an incident of sexual assault. It’s delicately dealt with but will be upsetting for some.

To say this is a coming of age story is to do it an injustice – and if it were a coming of age story, you’d expect a happy ending. Instead, Chapman’s play suggests you can run from hell – or you can turn it into a Tiki bar – but it might still feel lot like hell.

Is the WiFi Good in Hell? is at Underbelly Cowgate – Iron Belly until Sun 25 Aug 2024 (except Mon 12) at 12:40