Ohio draws from the life experience of one half of indie-folk duo The Bengsons, reaching back to his youth, his early experiences with religion and reckoning with a hereditary condition that will one day render him deaf. Yet, the duo tell their story with a steady care that allows an affecting universal truth to shine through. How do we find hope in the frailty of our bodies and the echoes of our fathers? While some of the story elements along the way could be clearer, the broad themes are skilfully introduced and a single dramatic moment manages to provide a truly moving emotional climax. 

Music is a key component in the show: it’s how this couple met and it has defined their life. But the knowledge that one day Shaun will be unable to hear those notes gives it all a bittersweet edge. The songs themselves are beautifully ambitious yet intimate, characterised by gentle fingerpicking and looped vocals, with Abigail Bengson’s powerful voice either elevating or keeping them subdued as required. 

This is a small performance about big themes: faith, death, birth and love. In less skilled hands it could all fall apart or get bogged down in mawkish sincerity, but the warm joy the duo emanate keeps things buoyant and make the show a triumph. 

Ohio, Assembly Roxy, until 24 August, 3pm; main picture: Oliver Rosser.