The action in 'Forward' centres on mouthy Birmingham teenager Susan, a sort of Adrian Mole-cum-Lolita, who likes to patronise her dad, the bigoted Tony, and tantalise her two uncles, the thoughtful Mike and clownish Dave.

Catherine Skinner as Susan

Susan secretly loves Mike but isn't sure if he feels the same. No such doubts with Dave, who offers her ten quid to get her top off.

Meanwhile, brother Kieran dreams of being the first gay hip-hop star but can't face coming out. When we see Tony at work - debt collecting - we know he isn't going to take any of this very well.

The play derives much of its power and humour from the painful honesty of its characters.

"They say there's one in every family," a shocked Tony tells Mike when he learns of Kieran's homosexuality. "But we all thought it was you."

Even their compassion is brutally frank: "It's not your fault your sperm's no ****ing good," Dave consoles the infertile Mike.

The dialogue is fast, funny and quotable ("Progress is like shit. It happens", Susan memorably opines) and the voices instantly sound like people we know - clearly Warrington has a good ear.

The acting is first rate, with Ged McKenna excellent as walking volcano Tony, and Robert Harrison as Mike providing a convincing portrait of dignity under pressure.

The Forward Statue was destroyed by fire

Whilst the play is a truly local production - set in Birmingham and inspired by the civic statue which famously went up in smoke just outside The Rep - it is never parochial. It manages to portray working class family without idealising or demonising them.

Forward is far from the finished article. While the scenes are dramatic enough on their own, they don't really build into a satisfying whole. The plot is sometimes clumsily developed - the mother's crucial revelation feels almost unprompted - and the symbolism is sometimes shoe-horned in.

But it is funny, it is true and it is about us. Go and see it. It's showing at the Rep until 28th February.