THERE is something undeniably entertaining about watching siblings tear strips off one another.
Equally absorbing is looking on while a couple argues in the wee hours of the morning to keep their domestic conflicts secret from the family sleeping in rooms dotted around them.
Such explosive interactions are the stuff of Mark O’Rowe’s Reunion, which made its UK debut this month, and is simply captivating viewing.
Aislín McGuckin (Elaine) and Catherine Walker (Gina) in Reunion at the Kiln Theatre (Pics: Mark Senior)There is so much family drama packed into this one act play that you daren’t take a breath for fear you would miss something.
I’m talking full-blown rows here, with high-pitch screaming matches, insults, accusations, multiple ‘f*** offs’ and decisions made never to talk again.
It’s the sort of carry-on that we never really get to watch from the sidelines, unless it happens in our own families, of course.
And if that’s the case well then there is nothing fascinating about it at all – it's anything but.
Kate Gilmore give a well-polished performance as headstrong Marilyn in the production (Pics: Mark Senior)But to watch a full-on family argument, close up, among people who we are not connected to, or better still, don’t really exist, well it turns out that that is something of a voyeuristic treat.
Of course, this is not what we expect when the play begins.
With sharp set design, effective lighting and well selected sound, O’Rowe’s Reunion fits perfectly at the Kiln's intimate stage.
We are at first faced with a warm kitchen scene, complete with a mother peeling potatoes and her now grown-up children lolling around on cosy couches, pouring tea and catching up.
You can hear a storm lashing outside, but at first look, there is seemingly little else that can interrupt this happy scene.
O’Rowe, who wrote and directs the play, has centred on a family gathering at a holiday cottage on an island off the west coast of Ireland.
Stephen Hagan as Stuart and Catherine Walker as Gina in Reunion (Pic: Mark Senior)Widowed Elaine, played by the excellent Aislín McGuckin, has invited her three children – daughters Marilyn and Janice, played by Kate Gilmore and Venetia Bowe respectively, son Maurice (Peter Corboy) and their partners to the house, in memory of their late father whom they had previously enjoyed holidays there with.
There are extended family members in tow too - partners, one partner’s father and an auntie who makes a surprise visit from London.
There is tea, wine and whiskey flowing.
There is the gentle prodding and banter siblings enjoy when they haven’t seen each other for a while.
There is talk of a morning sea swim and there is a sense of fun and frolics ahead.
So far, so comfortable to view.
The arrival of old friend Aonghus, played by Ian-Lloyd Anderson, sees proceedings take a turn in Reunion (Pic: Mark Senior)But the arrival of a local man, a family friend who is also the ex-boyfriend of one of the daughters, brings a dark turning to proceedings.
Suddenly unforeseen tensions begin to surface, and it appears everyone on this trip is not as happy as they seem.
Each has their own demons to contend with, but it is those which impact the two sisters that ultimately prove the most devastating.
Now there are weighty character portrayals all around in this emotional family saga, but special mention must go to both Gilmore and Bowe for their impressive, excruciatingly emotive performances.
Venetia Bowe gives a powerful performance as Janice (Pic: Mark Senior)These women truly command the stage.
The waves lashing outside the cottage are nothing compared to the insults and accusations they roar at one another from across it.
And their emotionally charged interactions provide delightfully indulgent viewing - humorous, shocking and sad all at once.
That is a theme which runs through the production.
Everything from sibling rivalry to domestic abuse, unrequited love and alleged infidelities all surface, and serve to bring laughs as well as gasps in this emotional rollercoaster.
But we have the luxury of just sitting back and watching it all unfold as the family vacation unravels into a tornado of tempers, tears and uncomfortable home truths.
In Reunion O’Rowe provides a searing insight into the complexities of modern family life and the knife-edge even the most convivial of relationships can find themselves thrust upon.
It is well worth viewing for the short run that it is in London for.
Reunion runs at the Kiln Theatre until October 11 before returning to Dublin. For tickets click here.
See More: Kiln Theatre, Mark O'Rowe, Reunion
