What is the question that precedes the title of Nick Payne’s promising play? Possibly it’s something to do with the existence of happy families and true love. Flawed love is on show here within Lucy Osborne’s all-blue set. George is so obsessed with saving the world that he has no time for his family; his wife hasn’t noticed that their overweight daughter Anna (Ailish O'Connor) is being bullied at school; and Anna develops an angsty crush on her unreliable uncle (Rafe Spall). Some cringe-making family scenes ring all too true, but the director, Josie Rourke, overemphasises Payne’s changes in tone, oddly making the men appear to be in a different play from the women. O’Connor has a wonderfully expressive face, registering each painful moment of rejection as she heads towards total breakdown. In contrast, Michael Begley’s academic mannerisms as George are woefully exaggerated, and Spall, although very striking, also falls for some easy laughs as the uncle who likes to get down with the kids. As a result, the delicate balance between despair and comedy proves hard to maintain.

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