Sylvestre Le Touzel in The Authenticator [Marc Brenner]

WINSOME Pinnock’s new play The Authenticator tackles weighty themes with a deft touch that belies its subject matter.

After inheriting her family’s stately home, eccentric artist Fenella Harford (Sylvestra Le Touzel) uncovers a cache of old diaries. She enlists two Black academics, Marva (Cherrelle Skeete) and her mentor Abi (Rakie Ayola) to verify their authenticity.

It’s quickly established that Fen’s ancestor was a Jamaican plantation owner and slave trader, and his diaries are com­prised of lists and acquisitions.

Fen prefers to remember the family’s philanthropy rather than confront its darker legacy.

For her, the records are boring, but for Marva and Abi they hold a grim fascination; both recognise the importance of keeping a public account.

Marva has her own reasons for wanting to visit Harford Hall. Abi was at Oxford at the same time as Fen, and there’s an enjoyable scene in which the two women reminisce about their musical passions.

Yet the play can’t decide what it wants to be – thriller, mystery, farce, ghost story. Pinnock seems intent on covering all bases. The comedy works well, mostly at Fen’s expense, as she gleefully embraces the possibility that she may be descended from “Black Sarah”.

The various twists in Miranda Cromwell’s pacy production keep us on our toes, and Jon Bausor’s imaginative set conveys different rooms with minimal props and clever shifts in level.

The competing ideas and tonal shifts dilute the drama’s impact, yet this three-hander remains engaging, and the questions it raises feels especially pertinent now.

Until May 9
nationaltheatre.org.uk/