Front row is always my favourite place to sit at the theatre but it can come with one or two disadvantages. Firstly you are in spittle firing range if an actor really goes for it and secondly you can sometimes see the actors from angles that aren't always flattering.

It was the latter problem that had me not knowing where to look at times on Monday night as I watched April De Angelis' new play Jumpy at the Royal Court.

Short skirts were the problem or rather 'pelmets' as my mum would have described them. Doon Mackichan (Frances) in a leather basque and fishnets doing burlesque is oddly fine, really funny in fact but the knickers revealing skirts just made me feel a little bit awkward.

The costumes are all thankfully in context. The play is about a mother-teenage daughter relationship. Hilary (Tamsin Greig) threatened with redundancy, with her daughter Tilly's (Bel Powley) increasing independence and a marriage that has become routine questions the future. Having demonstrated at Greenham Common she wants Tilly to grow up to be a strong woman who doesn't feel pigeon-holed by her sex or objectified.

Tilly on the other hand is concerned only about parties and boys. She huffs and stomps, is glued to her mobile, full of back-chat and embarrassed by her parents.

And, knickers on show aside, Jumpy is brilliant. It's a witty and extremely funny play that demonstrates that parents are from Mars and teenagers are from Venus. I don't have kids but I couldn't help having all sorts of thoughts that reminded me of my own parents (which made me cry a little inside - it is true I am turning into my mother).