This is certainly one of the maddest family dramas that throws everything at its characters to powerful if overwhelming effect.
One thing that is clear from Taylor Mac’s absurdist family drama is that this particular American family have a lot of baggage that really impacts the family dynamic as a whole and to see them trying to untangle it all is fascinating to watch – even if by the end it is possible to feel overwhelmed by it all.
Isaac has been dishonourably discharged from the Marines with PTSD and arrives home expecting a warm and comforting reception. But what he finds is chaos – in all senses of the word. His mum Paige has taken control of both house and the abusive relationship that she shared with her her husband Arnold (who has suffered a stroke) by turning everything upside down: the house she doesn’t clean as a sense of rebellion at having done it all for so many years, while infantilising and in many ways humiliating Arnold as payback for the years of abuse she suffered at his hands. Then Paige’s younger child Max is transitioning into a gay man, leading to some interesting conversations as to whether Noah’s ark was transphobic and questioning as to whether the Mona Lisa is in fact gay.
While the set up and the way in which the story unfolds becomes increasingly mad (see the shadow puppetry sequence), but Mac’s script asks a lot of serious questions about identity (the use of pronouns is particularly explored with the title of the play referencing how Max wants to be addressed), the relationships between parent and child and domestic abuse. It is vicious and sharp in places that can have you wincing at how this family have survived this long together – particularly seen in the way in which Paige uses the blender (which seems to trigger Isaac’s vomiting relating to his PTSD) and air conditioning to try and control her family.
Steven Kunis’s production really relishes in every moment that the play has to offer, drawing out the humour and bleakness of the story effortlessly, even if at times it can feel a little bit over the top and overwhelming to watch. In particular, the climax to act one in which the audience is shown just how traumatised Isaac is from the war feels just a little too much and lacking the subtlety that is on display elsewhere in the production.
Given the intimacy of the Park Theatre, the audience is really close to the action and Ceci Calf’s set design is perfectly designed to suggest this is an ordinary American family. But then it also showcase just how chaotic this family is in not only having to deal with their own individual trauma but that of those around them while their dreams for a better future seem to collide – the intimacy of the set brings a claustrophobic atmosphere which helps to maintain the audience’s attention.
The performances are all excellent. Steffan Cennydd as Isaac captures his character’s struggles in terms of trying to reclaim some sense of normality and ensure that control is put back into a male member of the family’s hands while dealing adjusting to normal life perfectly. It is a really nuanced performance. Former Desperate Housewife Felicity Huffman clearly relishes the role of Paige taking the character to deeper levers as the story unfolds – on the one hand looking for freedom in her own life, but wanting to control the lives of everyone around her – it is a sharp and controlled performance. Thalia Dudek as Max delivers a wonderfully grounded and sympathetic performance, while Simon Martin as Arnold might be a subtle presence at first but with great attention you begin to see the character come back to his old and vicious self – it is a carefully judged role.
Hir has plenty to say and delights in its own chaos, but it is completely exhausting. That isn’t to say that it isn’t worth catching, but there is an awful lot for you to get your head around – something that I’m still trying to do several days on from watching it.
By Emma Clarendon
Hir continues to play at the Park Theatre until the 16th March.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐