★★★★✰
At first, Sons Of The Prophet, which is making its European premiere at the Hampstead Theatre, seems like an antithesis to the Christmas spirit. Stephen Karam’s play tells the story of two Lebanese-American brothers that are dealing with the recent death of their father, who died in a bizarre car accident after a prank by a high schooler went disastrously wrong. Set in Pennsylvania in the lead up to the festive season, Sons Of The Prophet is a compelling tragicomedy that reminds us that sadness is just as intertwined with Christmas as happiness. The play manages to explore grief with sensitivity, but it still refuses to take itself too seriously.
Irfan Shamji delivers an incredibly strong performance as the complicated lead Joseph Douaihy. Having to act as the stabiliser of a dysfunctional, grieving family whilst battling chronic pain, Joseph Douaihy is physically and emotionally deteriorating, even though he often uses humour to distract from his suffering. Directed by Bijan Sheibani, this production is centred around Joseph, as we follow his journey to doctors surgeries, bus stops, his workplace and so on. The play is aware that the most intense of emotions occur in mundane situations whilst grieving, and its ability to demonstrate this is what makes it so captivating. Shamji portrays Joseph’s complex set of emotions very well, ultimately building up to his very dramatic breaking point. His younger brother Charles (Eric Sirakian) meanwhile, is a brilliantly sarcastic, bubbly addition to the family. The chemistry between the two characters feels believable as the two frequently talk over each other, sharing awkward silences and their worries for the future now they are without parents.
Set in the mid 2000s, a lot of the play’s humour rests on the new emergence of popular technology, which already feels superbly dated. Charles’ exaggerated elocution of the new terms ‘Internet’ and ‘online’ are giggle-worthy, and laughs are produced from the audience whenever Blackberry phones are mentioned in conversation. Sons Of The Prophet ultimately leads up to a court trial for Vin, the high schooler who caused the father of the two brothers to swerve from the road and crash. Despite the serious subject matter, the trial scene is a hilarious one. It is led by two ladies who sit either side of an American flag, and they read out lines in a muted tone that is humorously incomprehensible. Similar moments play out in doctors surgeries and hospitals which Joseph visits for his chronic pain; the proceedings are led by incompetent doctors who refuse to provide any straight forward information. As well as adding comedic value, these scenes also make important points about the failings of the state to provide essential services for individuals in the modern age.
Juliet Cowman meanwhile plays Gloria, an unscrupulous business woman and Joseph’s boss. Although Cowman’s New Yorker accent sometimes goes awry, she still steals every scene that she is in, with her impeccable comedic timing, producing an excited murmur from the audience whenever she appears. Gloria’s central theme of how capitalism exploits tragic occurrences however is not given enough time to fully develop, and therefore it fails to land the impact that it deserves.
The two-tiered staging designed by Samal Blak is very clever, with panels diagonally placed above the stage unexpectedly turning around throughout, to reveal different rooms of the Douaihy household and beyond. This makes the lives of the family feel superbly erratic. Local news reports from the ghastly journalist Timothy (Jack Holden) also benefit from the two tiered staging, allowing Timothy to embrace an elevated sense of self importance, symbolic of his privileged comments that he conveys to Joseph Douaihy when they meet.
With the inclusion of Timothy’s character, the play draws on themes such as the class division and news reporting on the underprivileged. However, once again, the play does not allow these themes enough time to be fully explored. Sons Of The Prophet on occasion touches on important analytical themes, but fails to provide any significant depth to them. The topics that the play attempts to explore is what makes it interesting but the large number it tries to include is its downfall, as it does not allow time for each subject to evolve. At points, because of this, the play does feel a little messy and rushed.
Sons Of The Prophet does not offer any solutions to the world’s problems, but it is a great exploration of a grieving family that is distinctively human. With strong performances from all of the cast and hilarious moments, Sons Of The Prophet is well worth a visit.
Words by Ester Scott
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