It is difficult for a terrible play to hide in the Burton Taylor Studio. Fortunately for writer and actor Ben Norris, his highly-personal performance of 'The Hitchhikers Guide to Family' was brilliant.

His witty, and at times emotional, delivery of his mission to become more connected to his dad found him hitchhiking around the country along the M1, and was an utter delight to witness.

Telling us tale after tale about this quest, just as he would a mate down the pub, we were all invested in Ben's journey to try and reconnect with his dad, whom despite being very much alive, Ben has always felt distanced from.

Ben is a gifted storyteller and we willingly went on his hitchhiking journey with him to Wembley, via Luton and other exits off the motorway, where he and his dad had shared so many memories watching their team Luton play football, in his effort to understand his father better.

As with any good storyteller, Ben did not rely on fancy costumes or special effects to help tell his story. His words, performance and the few props he had were enough to mesmerise us with his charm for the entire show.

Ben's slam poetry was equally embraced by the audience, and he had us laughing throughout.

Showing snippets of the actual journey on a projector, we understood Ben's frustration while waiting for an interminable lift with anyone but a 'white van man' at a service station, his elation at meeting people along the way who knew his Dad, from his dad's best friends to the punters in the pubs his grand-parents used to run, all adding to his raw, intimate and frank performance.

The Hitchhikers Guide to Family as a result was both fascinating and relatable, zoning in on our inherent human need to know where we come from, what shapes us, who our parents are, and running with it.

It was just a shame his father wasn't there to witness the effort his son was making because it would have touched him to the core.

Georgina Campbell 4/5