There is a golden thread, the man said, that runs through British history. It does indeed. It is the periodic alarm experienced by the British when foreigners arrive in more than four-figure numbers. It turns into an eagerness to teach them to be British, then into uneasy amazement at how British they’ve become. Right now, we are at stage two; and David Edgar’s play catches the nation in a state of eagerness, occasionally impatience, to convert the pagan arrivals. This is a brilliant piece of entertainment: crisp, funny, sceptical and generous. Behind the entertainment, however, are wisdom and a warning. Language is both a bridge and a barrier; and English combines evasiveness with eccentric humour, as well as a susceptibility to be misunderstood. How do you find the right word and - more important and more difficult – the right tone? Is it vital to survival to know whether Lords has to do with politics or sport? Is there some Blairite target to be reached? Matthew Dunster directs with a sense of nimble clarity, and the eight actors play twice as many roles with acrobatic skill.

Out of Joint, Library Theatre, Manchester, Tue-Sat; touring until May 10

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