Hard Hearted Hannah was won on the hoof

The result is an unpredictable 90-minute magical mystery tour. The evening this critic was in, there were some dead ends and wrong turnings on the way, but it is innately thrilling to watch something brand new being created before your very eyes.

Having chosen the title The Forgotten One, we were suddenly in outer space, where Logan and Haigh’s astronauts were having a close encounter with Murdoch’s warbling alien. Some nights the troupe delivers a scriptless drama, other nights a comedy. The Forgotten One was both.

While emotional resonance was harder to achieve, laughs flowed thick and fast, particularly when the actors had to switch from one character to another and could barely keep up with themselves.

Just as things made sense, the men fell to earth, landing in the Wild West, with Logan now a cowboy fugitive. The challenge was tying up the disparate strands and it looked as if the trio had failed until they snatched victory from defeat with a moving, guns-blazing, alien-slaying finale.

Undoubtedly rough around the edges, but the polished performances at its heart were worth the ticket price.

Until 7 June (0871 221 1729, www.lyric.co.uk).

Hard Hearted Hannah And Other Stories
Lyric Hammersmith
Lyric Square, King Street, W6 0QL