Review: ORPHANS, Southwark Playhouse, February 12 2016

With their mother long dead and their father long gone, Treat is a smalltime thief doing holdups in North Philadelphia whilst trapping his brother, Philip, in their dingy apartment with a spurious tale about allergies. Philip longs for freedom, but is (with some justification) scared of his brother's temper, likely to flare the moment anyone asserts themselves in his presence. But when Treat kidnaps Harold, a businessman carrying more money and stock certificates than an entirely legitimate one would, the apartment's long established but fragile balance is disturbed and things are never the same again.

Orphans (at Southwark Playhouse until 5 March) has many parallels with Father Ted (which it predates by a decade or so). Rather than Ted's need to control provoking exasperation, Treat's is transformed into violence. Philip's naivety and charm echoes Father Dougal's, but the adult is little more than a manchild, imprisoned but longing to learn about the world outside his window. Harold has plenty of Father Jack's unpredictability and fondness for booze, but is more controlled in his reactions to the brothers, slyly tempting each of them to change their ways.

Though Lyle Kessler's award-winning play deals with some serious issues concerning masculinity, families and hopes, it's a black comedy that is every bit as funny as it is thought-provoking. That's due in no small part to the quality of the acting which is uniformly superb. Alexander Neal is menacing as Treat, but leavens his intimidation with enough charisma for us to feel some sympathy for this damaged monster. Mitchell Mullen gives Harold a stocky physicality and avoids toppling into sentimentality, despite his continual laments over the plight of orphans - he was once one himself. Chris Pybus steals the show as rake-thin Philip, who has his horizons expanded (literally) by Harold and whose vulnerability almost provokes members of the audience to shout out to warn him as Treat's jealousy starts to bubble over with the menage a deux becoming a menage a trois.

This production is another fascinating revival at a venue that is unafraid to challenge its public with shows that might not leap off the page in preview descriptions but which work beautifully on stage. This is classy stuff, as fresh now as it was 33 years ago in Los Angeles - and pretty much what fringe theatre is for.