Jermyn Street Theatre - 16b Jermyn Street, SW1

Down by the hustle and bustle and Lime bike carnage of Piccadilly Circus, where confused tourists wander towards the lights of their preferred West End blockbuster, there is an innocuous little doorway that leads down to one of London's best theatres. Hidden gem? The phrase was practically invented for the Jermyn Street Theatre.

- BY MARTIN ROBINSON

It's not impossible to find the clue is in the name - but it doesn't exactly scream for attention. No, this is a place for those in the know. Not that it's snooty, far from it in fact. It's just more concerned with delivering a pure hit of theatre than the hard sell. And part of its cult appeal is in its size: this is a theatre where the audience is basically in the play. "I've seen someone knock over their drink and the actor, still in character, picked it up and gave it back to them," says artistic director Stella Powell-Jones, "There's a mischief here, it's so live here, and actors really surf that wave with the audience."

Tiny theatre, big names

So you find the doorway, then take some steep stairs down to the box office at the bottom, head through a door, grab a drink from a bar - just a hatch - take one of the 70 seats and find Powell-Jones and David Doyle, the executive producer, sitting there too; or at least I did. And right in front of you is the stage set, where the actors stand catching drinks.