As I made my way through the back corridors of the Lyric, surrounded by dust sheets and gaffer tape, I was heading into the unknown.

This was the first time I'd been to the theatre, in this case one hidden in the heart of a huge building site, with absolutely no idea what to expect.

There have been times I've booked so far in advance I've only had a vague recollection of the plot or lead actors come the night, but I've always known at least the name of the play.

Secret Theatre, the Lyric's response to what it calls the growing commercialisation of the arts, asks audiences to take a punt on plays based only on the strength of the company involved. Rather than a name, each show has a number, and all you know before taking your seat is the running time.

As I waited for the curtain to rise, completely unencumbered by preconceptions or hype, either manufactured or natural, I have to say it was refreshing experience - especially in these days of information overload.

I'd recommend you do the same, which is why I'm not giving any stars with this review (no, I haven't suddenly gone all highbrow), but if you want to read on, beware spoilers.

If you've made it this far, I'll give you one more chance to preserve that sense of intrigue by simply saying it's a powerful, subtly moving show, and definitely one worth taking a risk on.

It's not long before you learn the play's identity, Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire - a classic, but one I'm ashamed to say I've never seen before.

From the moment Blanche DuBois appears on the bare stage dragging twice her body weight in luggage, it's clear that's nothing compared with the emotional baggage she's carrying.

She's hotfooted it from her hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, to join her sister Stella and new brother-in-law Stanley in one of New Orleans' rougher neighbourhoods.

As she struggles to adjust to her new, less refined surrounds, her loose relationship with reality slowly unravels and we learn more about the life she's trying to leave behind.

It's a fitting play for Secret Theatre, one which immerses you in a strange twilight world, hovering between fantasy and the gritty reality of the streets.

Nadia Albina is impressive as the fragile, skittish Blanche, and there's a dangerous chemistry between her and Sergo Vares, the predatory Stanley.

But Leo Bill steals the show as Mitch, the over-sensitive man-boy infatuated by Blanche, who approaches life like a schoolboy teetering on the edge of a diving board.

When Blanche tells him, in what is simultaneously one of theatre's least and most romantic lines, 'you were a cleft in the rock of this world I could hide in', you feel those words could have been written with Bill in mind.

The whitewashed set, illuminated by harsh strip lighting and with little more in the way of props than a ladder, evokes the feeling of a world in construction.

We're never quite sure what's real and what's not in Blanche's world, as she flitters between fight and flight when it comes to life's base desires.

As the strands of fantasy, truth and half truth wrap around one another, the action builds towards an almost suffocatingly powerful conclusion.

Show 2, as the Lyric calls it, is a slow burner but one which subtly envelops you in Blanche's mysterious world. It represents a promising start to the Secret Theatre season.

* Show 2 is at the Lyric Hammersmith until October 11. For tickets to Show 2 and other Secret Theatre plays, all priced £15, visit www.lyric.co.uk.