One of the great things about Caryl Churchill is that she anticipates the future while acknowledging the past. You see that in this brilliant 1997 double bill now getting a long overdue revival: while the two plays have had a big influence on younger dramatists, Churchill follows Beckett in dramatising the act of waiting and Ionesco in capturing the emptiness of everyday communication.
In the first play, Heart’s Desire, two parents nervously await the arrival of their daughter from Australia. The scene is endlessly repeated with variations both hilarious and shocking: with each ring of the doorbell, Churchill pulls off a surreal surprise, yet the agony of waiting also reveals the mutual detestation of the marital couple and their joint despair at their alcoholic son. It is both one of the funniest short plays ever written and a reminder of the savagery that often lies beneath the surface of family life.
The more sombre Blue Kettle also deals with a reunion of parents and children. The difference is that the 40-year-old Derek poses as the lost biological son of four different women: we are never sure whether he is driven by mercenary motives or psychological need, but the originality lies in the breakdown of language, with the words “blue” and “kettle” being inserted into the dialogue with increasing frequency. Once again, Churchill combines experimental technique with a startling vision of the fragility of family life.
The two plays are directed with great brio by David Mercatali and superbly acted by Andy de la Tour and Amelda Brown as the bilious bickerers in the first and by Alex Beckett as the deceptive Derek in the second.
• At Orange Tree, Richmond, until 19 November. Box office: 020-8940 3633.
