Conversations Not Fit For the American Dinner Table fits in perfectly with the current trend for US politics that currently dominates TV and cinema.

It also addresses the sense of change in the states towards that pillar of American society - the gun - with outstanding energy and satirical humour. TongueTied’s latest production, shown at York Theatre Royal on Friday night, was introduced as a “work in progress”, with feedback forms to be filled in at the end.

The man behind this production, which features one man and six masks, is Sol Max. The writer and actor uses an assumed name: he describes himself as a “Washington insider”.

A congressional speechwriter who still works in government, he says that “the honest, un-airbrushed, skewering of real world politics is generally frowned upon when it comes from the inside.”

The nameless characters portray the different reactions to one event, the death of an innocent black boy at the hands of a gun toting white American who mistakenly views him as dangerous. First comes the capitalist, then the grieving mother, then the average white woman, and finally a puppet newsreader.

Although the production effectively gets its message across, at just 40 minutes long, the fantastic enthusiasm, unfortunately, at times makes it feel rushed and overwhelming – perhaps due to the confines of the space.

The idea of a “work in progress” has two results. One is left wanting to see the finished product, but also feeling cheated of a full performance, which is unfortunate considering the superb energy in the acting.

- Lydia Winter