Peeping between the curtains of a brothel is not an experience we might be familiar with, but Alecky Blythe’s verbatim theatre production, The Girlfriend Experience opens the drapes far and wide on a world of sex games, frilly undies and grubby punters. The play opens with Alecky’s voice explaining to Tessa, the owner of the parlour, that she will be recording everything the women and their customers say during the next 12 months with a view to editing this down as a stage production. Wearing headphones, the actors repeat back this recorded dialogue word for word. Obtrusive at first, the headphones soon blend into the background, as the curious lives of these ladies of the night (or indeed afternoon) unfold.

On stage for most of the time, Debbie Chazen (Tessa) and Beatie Edney (Suzie) are a marvellous double act. A scantily clad Suzie is all excited about the project and happily itemises the contents of her bag - a towel, washbag and a dildo and talks us through the services the girls offer from hand relief to the "full girlfriend experience". Tessa, a single-mum who has set up the business by herself in a rented flat, is slightly more anxious to please. She’s concerned about how they might come across and if they will be unfavourably judged for their actions, but willingly puts her trust in Alecky. A trust that is handsomely rewarded in this tender and poignant play.

The rest of the cast are seen less but make their presence felt all the same. Esther Coles playing Amber, has a much smaller role as a married part-time hooker but the sight of her looming rear-end and heaving bosom is not an experience you can forget in a while. Lu Corfield as the young punk Poppy gives a supremely deadpan delivery as she guzzles buckets of water and fizzy pop for a watersports session and changes her post-coital knickers in the middle of the floor.

All are excellent in fleshing out these warm, funny and interesting characters who appear so much nicer in comparison to the men they have to deal with. Alex Lowe does a sterling job portraying each and every one of these lustful visitors from the decrepit old chap who has a penchant for being pleasured by someone wearing leather gloves to Viagra man, who needs his testicles constricted in order to reach climax.

That the play has been optioned as a sitcom by Big Talk, the team behind Black Books and Shaun of the Dead should come as no surprise. Its bittersweet comedy and quirky characters are infinitely watchable. The real life Tessa, Suzie, Amber and Poppy should be very pleased with their achievements, as much as Alecky Blythe should be praised as an intuitive and groundbreaking playwright.

The Girlfriend Experience is a hilariously compelling piece and one that certainly has legs - and the tits and arse as well.

Melanie Dakin