MOGADISHU is the latest in a slew of plays about education at West London theatres, possibly sparked by the free schools debate. It's also the best.
The action opens behind what appears to be a rusty, ragged fighting cage in which a schoolyard tussle ends with a teacher being pushed to the ground.
When one of the pupils lies about the incident to save his bacon, his accusation has shattering consequences for the teacher and the lives of those around her.
What sets Vivienne Franzmann's thought-provoking drama apart from those with similar themes is its incredible generosity.
While there are moments with most of the characters when you'd quite happily get on stage and thump them yourself, it's hard not to find yourself rooting for every one of them by the end.
The cage looms large over the action, an uneasy symbol of how a school can be both a place of protection and a battlefield.
It remains in place as we zoom in on the family lives of those at the centre of the unfolding drama, with the role of parents coming under similarly scrutiny.
Julia Ford is impressive as the teacher, Amanda, who refuses to condemn her pupils even as their lies threaten to tear her family apart, but it's two of the youngsters who steal the show.
Shannon Tarbet, as Amanda's precocious but emotionally fragile daughter, builds on the promise she showed in the Royal Court's Spur of the Moment last year.
Malachi Kirby, meanwhile, excels as volatile student Jason, who switches from strutting aggression among his peers to wide-eyed terror under his father's harsh regime.
Matthew Dunster's lively production ensures the action rattles along, with the decision to have the cast waiting in view outside the cage adding a level of menace to proceedings.
