Review: Year of the Family

Presented by Tooth and Sinew in association with Bakehouse Theatre, Anthony Neilson’s play is a clever examination of what constitutes a family, and he definitely does not land on the side of convention.

His family is stitched together from a ragbag of unlikely and not very likeable characters, at least not likeable initially.

There’s Claire (Brooke Ryan), who’s sleeping with the nice older man Dickie (David Woodland) while also having torrid sex with his son Sid (Peter-William Jamieson).

And there’s Claire’s detested half-sister Felicity, or Flis, played by Nicole Wineberg, who has kidnapped and held hostage a homeless man (Brendan Miles) whom she believes is her long-lost father and whom she is training for the role.

From this simple scenario arises incidents in which these characters brush up against one another in sometimes uncomfortable, often amusing, and always challenging ways.

Nicole Wineberg alternately cajoles and bullies her hostage into thinking and behaving as her missing father had all those years ago and, to our astonishment, he begins to respond to her tuition.

While the writing has its weaknesses in the first act, especially in the scenes between Claire and Sid, it evolves very satisfyingly in the second with a nice twist in the “family” Christmas gathering that unites the characters in momentary reconciliation and, dare I say it, love?

Director Richard Hilliar made the most of a mostly good script, while Ash Bel (Design), Tegan Nicholls (Sound) and Liam O’Keefe (Lighting) did wonders with the limited space of this off-off-off-off Hickson Road theatre. (ID)

Until Feb 20 (Tues-Sat 8pm, Sun 5pm). The Kings Cross Theatre, level 2, Kings Cross Hotel, 244-248 William Street, Kings Cross. $25-$29. Tickets & info: toothandsinew.com/current