Sorry begins inconspicuously in the early hours, the Apple in their pyjamas singing round the dining table.

All is not well however, Barbara filling the room with anxious fluster. Uncle Benjamin is suffering memory loss and unbeknown to him is off to a home later that day.

Set on 2012 Election Day in Upstate New York, the liberal Apple family discuss what question they’d ask Obama given the chance.

All the while Benjamin sits alone playing with a puzzle – present but not all there.

The mundane set-up makes for an uncomfortable fly on the wall view into an intimate family conversation.

Light comedy breaks up the tension, while stories and secrets are punctuated by Benjamin’s confused presence.

Brother Richard has been working away in London and enters as the family drama reaches a head –Benjamin’s diary revealing some rather disturbing behaviour.

With a stellar cast of American dramatic heavyweights including Jon DeVries, Jay O Saunders, Maryann Plunkett, Sally Murphy and Mariann Mayberry, they wring out every drop of emotion from the characters.

Part of the Apple Family series of plays, by Public Theatre New York, this was the European premier and Brighton Festival exclusive - a real treat so early in the festival, not only well-timed with our own General Election but a sobering reminder of the complexity of family life.

THREE STARS