Review: Family First is infused with both humour and heart

Directed by Brandon Robinson-Connolly, Family First tells the story of the Merrow family, proud owners of Balor Bar. For patriarch Malachy (Jack Moorby) and his wife Lizzie (Leannah Gardner), the bar isn’t a day job, it’s part of the family unit. However, their children, Maeve (Scarlett Bennett), Keira (Rosie Jowett-Jones) and Conor (Tyler Pickles), are developing dreams away from these overfamiliar four walls. As the weight of family tradition proves heavy to hold, Family First tests if change will make or break the Merrows.

The cast of Family First is small - there are the five faces of the Merrow family and Sam (Danté Thomas), Maeve’s boyfriend who is struggling to find his place amidst a family who have always believed that blood is thicker than water. Though small in number, they are mighty in force. Even though the actors themselves are all similar in age, you truly believe they are a family unit. It's particularly impressive how Moorby and Gardner transform into characters decades older than they are through the magic of mannerism and costume. Malachy is an eccentric father figure always equipped with jokes on standby and Lizzie always stands firmly by his side, an echo of Linda in Death of a Salesman.

Alongside a small cast, Family First has a simple set. However, the cast manage to transform everyday objects into grand props. For example, early in the play, as the Merrows retell their family history, a reclining chair becomes a car racing through the street. There is no grand disguise that this is anything but a chair, yet you believe it is a car because the actors believe it is a car. Later in the play, Irish folklore figure Balor is brought to life with a cape and mask. Despite the simple props, this figure stands on stage almost double the size of man and makes you hold your breath in awe.

The craft behind Family First is visible - set changes are made largely by the cast themselves rather than external crew, yet this adds to the charm of the play. Equally charming is the addition of music. On stage there’s a banjo, a guitar, a drum, and a flute. These are all picked up and played by actors at varying times to underscore the dialogue. It adds a cheerful volume to scenes of joy and a solemn weight to scenes of sadness.

The Merrow family are Yorkshire through and through (though Malachy will assure you they are Irish). Therefore, it’s only natural that a northern wit finds its place in the writing. Casual jibes are in abundance and there’s an ability to find a joke in even the most dire of circumstances. Yet, the characters on stage are not jesters or a collection of northern stereotypes played for laughs. Instead, they feel authentic, like you could meet them in the street. It’s the type of northern representation only a northern voice could write.

The strongest scenes in Family First are the scenes of conflict, when we see anger reach its boiling point. Here, the staging strengthens the tension. On a ground floor stage, you meet the actors eye to eye. You can hear their breath and see their tears. Lines between actors overlap just as they do in real arguments. You get a sense that sometimes the actors are surprised by the words that fall out of their mouth just as real anger can shock us with what it reveals about us.

Though Family First is a play about Balor Bar, we do not see much of the bar itself. Instead, the bar is largely characterised through the script. Yet, because the play is performed in pubs, we slip naturally into the role of bargoers. We feel as if we’re in Balor Bar, eavesdropping on the family cheers and woes from their home above. Family First does a fantastic job in including us, especially through a surprise at the end which I will not spoil.

This is a play that takes us through a journey of the highs and lows of a family's life. It’s a privilege to watch and the prime example of why local theatre should never die.

Family First is playing around the UK until September 27.

To find out more about Rebel Roots Theatre and to buy tickets, visit rebelrootstheatre.com