GRIPPING BLACK IRISH COMEDY COMES TO THE UK

By Trisha Cusack ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

Making its UK debut, Mark O’Rowe’s ‘Reunion’ is a well crafted show around how, when it comes to family, you really can’t live with them nor without them. For an hour and forty minutes, this one act play proves exactly why it received critical acclaim at its premiere at the Galway International Arts Festival last year.

Set on an island off the west coast of Ireland, the play follows a family as they reunite to commemorate their late father. It’s a crowded house with matriarch Elaine being joined by her three adult children, Maurice, Marilyn, and Janice and their respective partners, Holly, Ciaran, and Stuart. Completing the gang are Elaine’s younger sister Gina and Holly’s awkward father Felix, with Marilyn’s ‘odd’ ex Aonghus making quite the appearance later on.

What begins as a typical evening with family – small talk about the weather, updates on grandchildren, passive aggressive sibling jibes – soon progresses into something darker as tensions rise to the surface. We learn that appearances are not as they seem with some characters. Eventually, a confrontation between Aonghus, Marilyn and Ciaran descends into an all out screaming match between Janice and Marilyn. Their guttural screams, felt in the bones of the audience, brings the growing chaos to its climax and causes seemingly unsolvable rifts within the family.

O’Rowe captures brilliantly the dynamics of family, from the mundane conversation over cups of tea to complex relationships between parents and siblings. ‘Reunion’ demonstrates how grown children regress once back in childhood settings. For example, Janice, a mother of two, still fights with her brother over having the corner bedroom which she considers as “her” room.

For a relatively large main cast, all with equal billing, each character manages to make a strong contribution to the play. A standout for me was Aislín McGuckin, who embodies the typical Irish mammy with ease as Elaine. Stephen Brennan’s bumbling Felix was also a real gem. Awkward and unsure at the beginning, he soon becomes an audience favourite, and in truth the only character you’re really rooting for at the end.

O’Rowe draws many a laugh from the audience throughout the show, a good indication of the witty dialogue and the silly but fun sideplots which I won’t spoil. The overall feel of the play, with its black humour and west of Ireland setting, is reminiscent of Martin McDonagh’s stage work – although minus his usual violence.

Running until October 11th, ‘Reunion’ is well written, well cast, and well worth seeing. Although maybe without your siblings.

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Photo Credit: Mark Senior