Theatre review: Reunion

Transferring to the Kiln after a hit run at the Galway International Arts Festival, writer-director Mark O'Rowe's Reunion is a look at a family that appears close but don't actually all end up in the same place together all that often - and why that's probably a good thing. Elaine (Aislín McGuckin) hasn't had her whole family in the same room since her husband's funeral a couple of years earlier, but now her son and two daughters have come back to her home on a small, remote island off Ireland for a meal and a few drinks to remember him. In fact Janice (Venetia Bowe) and her husband Stuart (Stephen Hagan) weren't expected, but they've come as a surprise, and brought with them Elaine's sister Gina (Catherine Walker,) whose long-term partner has just dumped her in the middle of a midlife crisis.

Also bringing someone extra is son Maurice (Peter Corboy,) whose girlfriend Holly (Simone Collins) has brought along her dad Felix (Stephen Brennan,) who's not entirely sure what he's doing there and spends most of his time quietly necking beers in the garden to avoid getting in anyone's way.

Marilyn (Kate Gilmore) has only come with her new boyfriend Ciaran (Leonard Buckley,) but she also gets an unexpected extra guest when her ex Aonghus (lan-Lloyd Anderson) turns up, first during dinner with the cheery impression of having moved on, then at 3am to declare that his love for her remains undying. He's the catalyst for a lot of the chaos that ensues as the siblings' various tensions, both between them and in their couples, come to a head.

I found Reunion strongest in its comedy scenes, with the increasingly frantic fracas in the wee small hours of the morning providing a battle of words, both passive-aggresive and aggressive-aggressive, that builds to a great comic rhythm. The dramatic side of things doesn't hit quite as hard - there's a convoluted tangle of relationships and grudges but I didn't think we were seeing anything entirely new. A strong cast though, really getting their teeth into their often entertainingly monstrous characters.

Reunion by Mark O'Rowe is booking until the 11th of October at the Kiln Theatre.

Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes straight through.

Photo credit: Mark Senior