It is not often that a play comes along that deals with a problem in our society such as racism. Possibly because we don't see it as much of a problem these days. But when writer Kwame Kwei-Armab was asked to write "A play that comes from your heart", that is precisely what he came up with.

My notes in the programme actually amount to one word - "prejudice". That is, in a nutshell, what the play is about. "A Bitter Herb" is a story about the family of a young black man named John who has been killed by racists. It deals with how they cope with their loss, what they perceive the outside world to be thinking of them, and the divide that opens up between the family as a result of differing opinions and ways of showing their pain. Often it seems that Kwei-Armab is writing from personal experience, and between the acts the story shifts from being about the life that has been lost to showing how the family themselves are affected.

If I were to point out here all the things that impressed me about this production, we would be here a very long time. It seems easier to list the things that weren't so good. There are none. The set was cleverly put together, the use of a rotating floor allowing us to see all angles of the family's front room. The cast were all superb, to the point that I don't want to name one of them as being especially good lest it take the shine off the performance of the other four. The video clips used, home movies from before John was killed, are well done (with the help of Oscar winning Aardman Animations) and cleverly placed.

The script throughout is superb. The message is put across clearly, and at the same time there are hints of something much more subtle lying just beneath the surface. The one thing that is very obvious throughout is the humour employed. The audience find it funny, and laugh, but at the same time feel uncomfortable about doing so. It is perhaps ironic that in a play about dealing with racism, "black" humour is such a major ingredient. There is also a neat juxtaposition between the complaints of the family about prejudice towards them from the white community and their own prejudice about others.

At the end of the day, the reaction - from critics or from the audience - is irrelevant. What is important is that this play has been written.