IT is with the odd euphemism, 'tickle tackle', pronounced by overbearing patriarch George “Ghengis” Khan, that sets the tone for East is East with both humour and distaste.

Sanjit, his youngest son, has not been circumcised, an affront to George's Muslim faith. Two of his eldest sons are due to be married off, and do not seem too pleased with the proposition. His wife, Ella, is a good woman, but her best friend Annie, always popping over unannounced, is not much to his liking. To top it off, surrounded by a racist public, he yet still serves fish suppers from his shop with a smile.

Dominating the excellently designed set, Simon Nagra is powerful as George, growing more and more erratic as the pressures of the Bangladesh Liberation War warp his perceptions both of his home life and home country.

That is to say nothing of the rest of the cast, who also turn in a host of well-tuned performances, and who all possess great comic timing. From the playful sibling interactions, to the famous denouement, each scene is handled with aplomb, and delivered with a delicious rain of profanity and innuendo.

The genius of East is East is in taking intense, touchy topics, and tearing them apart gleefully, exposing hypocrisy wherever it can be found. From the touchy Maneer (otherwise known as “Ghandi”) expressing sympathy for his father's condition, to Tariq, uncomfortable with his own race as well as his culture, every viewpoint is considered.

An evening of charged, yet hilarious entertainment, East is East is a must-see.

East is East is on at the Theatre Royal Bath until Saturday, September 19.