The Gabriels

I strive to avoid hyperbole and delusions of grandeur in my criticism, and am wary of reviews that read more like creative writing (or just flowery attention seeking) than a discernible discussion of the thing itself. Bearing that disinclination in mind, I can’t help but argue that The Gabriels at Brighton Festival is a show that will be looked back upon as both a monumental achievement in itself and a fascinating reflection on a difficult time. That’s not to say it’s a worthy or pompous attempt at being current affairsy or zeitgeisty however. Richard Nelson’s trilogy of plays are held around a table in the kitchen of The Gabriels family, who converse naturally, without too much loud projection or melodramatic payoffs.

The well-rounded, believable characters discuss their lives in a grounded and relatable manner, and the subtitle ‘Election Year in the Life of One Family’ almost feels a MacGuffin at times. 2016’s America seeps through however. One character discusses her play, which is solely unedited transcriptions of Hilary Clinton’s speeches, designed to highlight Clinton’s strength and conviction that got lost in the maelstrom of the election.

The most effective commentary was more subtle however, in the characters’ dismay at changing attitudes in society. A carpenter is exasperated with a rich man who insists on haggling down a fair price, a caterer is irked by the disdain of her rich patrons, a whole community is belittled by a weekender journalist’s condescending article.

The Gabriels succeeds in ruminating on both the death of a family member, and the death of a nation and a way of life. But it does so with astonishing warmth and sensitivity, resulting in a uniquely quiet polemic, and also simply a stunning play.

Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, 20-27 May 2017

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