Our Father

New Theatre ***

THERE CAN be few less promising portents for a show than an introductory rap, but the prospect of a drama about parental loss being recounted in rhyming couplets is surely one of them. So it is a credit to both cast and writer that Stefanie Preissner’s play overcomes these, and other, hazards: director Tara Derrington’s production is as pacey as it is heartfelt.

Told through anecdotal monologues, the story of how alienated Ellie (Preissner) encounters her long-absent father (Pat Nolan) and his new wife (Gene Rooney) after years of separation stretches its material thin, but is marked by sparky humour and game performances.

And after initially appearing a gratuitous affectation, the verse format – underpinned by the syncopation of The Beat (Jo Linehan), a kind of percussive Gar Private – emerges as Our Father’s central element, underlining a vim and wit that trumps the play’s shortcomings.

Runs until Saturday