Comedy and horror spectacularly collide in Richard Bean’s ribald new play, The Big Fellah. Set in New York over three decades (from the early seventies through until 2001), we follow ‘The Big Fellah’ David Costello (Finbar Lynch), a top brass in the IRA. Costello gives orders to moonlighting architect Ruairi (Rory Keenan) and his fireman friend Michael Doyle (David Ricardo-Pearce).

Throughout the years, events — from the end of the Cold War to Bobby Sands’ dirty protests — take their toll on the targets and objectives of these Irish terrorists. As naturally as these aims change, the terrorists change too. Love and middle age complicate matters and affect how the organisation develops.

The piece comes to us from Max Stafford Clark’s acclaimed touring Out of Joint company, who specialise in bringing new writing to the country. Richard Bean is an established name, having penned plays performed at the Royal Court and the National Theatre — and it’s not hard to see why he has been so highly regarded.

This is very funny material — but it’s a brittle kind of humour. At times the laughs are exceptionally dark, teetering on the edge of horror. One second a woman is punched in the face for standing up to her political beliefs, and a minute later a character is cracking a joke comparing Protestants and Roman Catholics.

These uneasy laughs, paired with the ongoing discussions concerning the nature of life’s decisions, transcend all politics and introduce pathos into the play. You don’t have to be au fait with the history to enjoy the show, but a little bit of light reading may well help.

Above all, The Big Fellah is garlanded with strong performances. Although it does occasionally feel as if Finbar Lynch is concentrating on polishing his accent rather than his performance, he maintains an earthy presence. Rory Keenan’s Ruairi is a definite standout — displaying all the complications the role of a ‘lovable’ terrorist entails. The only weak link is Michael’s former flame Elizabeth (Clare Rafferty) but that may have more to do with the writing. We barely know anything about her which makes a character development in the show’s second half either highly convenient or rather irritating, depending on your tolerance for out-of-the-bag twists. Rafferty has little to work with for the most part, and it shows.

If you’re not too put off by the heavy subject matter, Max Stafford Clark’s production delivers in spades. The Big Fellah runs at the Oxford Playhouse until Saturday night. Box office: 01865 305305 (oxfordplayhouse.com).