Ben Ockrent’s play Relics reminded me of Nachtland at the Young Vic from a couple of years ago.
• Siblings reunite to divvy up their dead parents’ belongings. Tick.
• A painting is found with a suspected dodgy history. Tick.
• Said painting divides the siblings, causing arguments. Tick.
Relics has a different comic tone, though. Where Nachtland had dark humour, this is lighter, it has witty repartee with some amusing physical comedy thrown in.
The four siblings meet at the family home to decide who will take what of their late mother’s possessions.
Olivia (Sally Phillips) is the responsible and organised one. She gave up her job to care for their mother and is concerned about the tree in the garden around which their Granddad’s ashes were scattered.
Michelle (Charly Clive) is a teacher and the aloof, grumpy one.
Rob (Sam Swainsbury) is kind-hearted but not the most together of people or the most decisive.
Jonny (JJ Feild) is the rarely seen, unreliable sibling. He’s arrogant with a hint of snobbishness.
The relationship between the siblings is obviously complex, but the play doesn’t go into too much detail as to the cause.
There are tidbits like a reference to Rob getting bullied at school and Jonny not helping. There is also a divide between what the older siblings experienced growing up and the younger.
Neither does the play go into great detail about their relationship with their parents or what their parents were like.
Again, there are tidbits like the mysterious evening their mother spent with the piano teacher.
It makes it hard to see the journey they go on.
Instead, the meat of the play is given over to arguing over what they should do with the painting.
But there isn’t much of a debate. The siblings are polarised between: Do what is morally right or be greedy. It doesn’t feel like a dilemma or hard choice.
And because the focus is on the argument rather than establishing the relationships, it makes the denouement a little clunky; it’s hard to see where the change of hearts has come from.
Final thoughts
The strength of Relics lies in its humour and wit, but there aren’t enough layers to the siblings and their relationships to make a well-rounded plot or an interesting debate. I’m giving it three stars.
Relics, Lyric Hammersmith
Written by Ben Ockrent
Directed by Michael Longhurst
Cast: Sally Phillips, JJ Feild, Charly Clive and Sam Swainsbury
Running time: 2 hours and 15 minutes with an interval
Booking until 18 July, and for more information and to buy tickets, visit the Lyric Hammersmith website
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