ANY of you who have been intrigued by the life of a city trader should check out the latest theatrical offering from writer Nicholas Pierpan. Fresh from a minor role in the Hollywood blockbuster

THE MADDENING RAIN

Old Red Lion Theatre, St John Street, EC1

ANY of you who have been intrigued by the life of a city trader should check out the latest theatrical offering from writer Nicholas Pierpan.

Fresh from a minor role in the Hollywood blockbuster Inception, British actor Felix Scott stars as a young aspiring stock broker from a Leicester comprehensive trying to make his name in the scary world of finance.

Pierpan's unnamed protagonist, who tells us his only qualifications for business are two unrelated A-levels, recites a gripping uninterrupted monologue of his descent into a back-stabbing, self-loathing money maker. Scott carries the part brilliantly, slipping into different dialects to characterise the various echelons of the oppressive English class system. It seems that no matter how well he pretends to be an insider, our status-hungry broker is blocked from entering the inner circle.

But despite Scott's excellent performance, the quality of Pierpan's writing should not be ignored. The Maddening Rain relies on a perfectly constructed script, which represents the often fickle and soul-destroying nature of London city living.

There is much for north Londoners to devour here - Pierpan cites many notable places in the Islington area, invariably to emphasise his protagonist's loneliness in a maze of streets and tower blocks. He also has a knack for cleverly satirising the various London social groupings, eliciting a knowing chuckle from the audience.

The intensity of the play is reinforced by the intimate venue, to the extent that you really cannot resist being dragged along this debilitating journey into madness.

- RACHEL BLUNDY