Gareth's Culture and Travel Blog

A play about family therapy might not sound like everyone’s cup of tea, but I thought it might be mine, particularly in the intimacy of Hampstead Theatre Downstairs.

Naomi Dawson’s design places the action inside a frame, making the audience voyeurs of the therapy sessions. This proves to be a double-edged sword as it distances you from the characters, making it difficult to engage emotionally with Ruby Thomas’ play, which follows therapy sessions inside an institution where Sam has been placed since his attempted suicide. The sessions are facilitated by therapist Daniel and include his separated parents Tim & Rita and younger sister Sofia.

I’m afraid I failed to engage with the characters and the situation, except briefly during an outburst by Sam. I couldn’t get over the barrier that I was watching actors speaking lines, not helped by feeling like I was looking into a cage in a zoo. I didn’t have the empathy I would expect to have with these people. I found myself waiting for it to end.

I am clearly at odds with the critics and the audience, so don’t let me put you off. Not my cup of tea after all.