Relics review – toxic heirloom cues hugely entertaining family clash

Lyric Hammersmith, London Four siblings squabble over an art treasure possibly stolen by their grandfather in this riotous play by Ben Ockrent Ben Ockrent’s black comedy about a family in mourning has distinct strains of the ludicrous, though the cartoonish absurdities creep in gradually. But then families are ludicrous: badly behaved and falling into their early, childish roles, especially in extremis. The extreme situation here is not the recent death of a mother in itself, which has led four adult siblings to gather at her home and hash out matters of inheritance, but a single item passed d

This story was reported by Culture | The Guardian. EUROPES curates Europe's most relevant coverage — read the full report at the original source.