Christmas Day Review – Sam Grabiner provides an interesting discussion at the dinner table | stage

STayla Adler, the famous actress and teacher of Yiddish origin, believed that theater was “the spiritual and social x-ray of her time.” This may be an unattainable ideal in our age of Punch Judy politics, culture wars, and artistic self-censorship. This is one reason why Sam Grabiner’s play, about a north London Jewish family having dinner on Christmas Day, feels so straightforward.

The film begins lightly with humor (“You’re not Larry David, you’re from Hendon”), then spirals into full-blown bickering and fallout, covering anti-Semitism, spirituality, belonging, and how the war between Israel and Gaza has shaped these Londoners’ sense of self. There is certainly no confusion between Israel and Judaism, but rather a deliberate invasion of this fraught and disputed land.

It’s not a perfect play but it’s a very brave play. So do outgoing head coach Robert Goold’s programs. I have never seen a drama that addresses British Jewish identity with such complexity. As a result, there are some artificial lines between characters, but they stick with you, and only pose a threat when they’re aired.

In James MacDonald’s interlude-free production, dinner begins when father Elliot (Nigel Lindsay) visits his son Noah (Samuel Blinken) and daughter Tamara (Bel Powley). They live in an abandoned office and Miriam Poyther’s design gives them the slightly bleak look of an underground bunker. Several others drift in, including non-Jewish roommate Maud (Callie Cook), who bears the comedic burden of explaining Christmas rituals, and Jack, Tamara’s ex-boyfriend, back from Israel and now named Aaron (Jacob Fortune Lloyd). The word “genocide” causes the biggest explosion when Tamara uses it to describe the killings in Gaza.

“Have you seen the news?” The characters ask each other without naming the incident directly. It could be a reference to the Bondi Beach terrorist attack targeting Hanukkah celebrations; This could be the latest news of terrorism from Gaza or likewise, as you sense, a terrible global event that led this family to an underground shelter.

The drama meanders, as if it is unfolding in real time. Sometimes her silence reminds us of Annie Baker. Other times they feel dehydrated. The play throws curveballs that lead nowhere, as does a drugged roommate who runs through him, as does a drug dealer (both played by Jimmy Ankrah). Much of the plot’s revelation comes after the central discussions and enters into a symbolic realm in the final moments, which involves a dead fox and a ritual of sorts. This is a mysterious part of the risk in a play that doesn’t pay off.

But what is striking is that despite the ideological gaps between the characters, there is a fundamental affinity that allows them to differ. Tamara argues against the occupation and Israel itself. Elliot, pained by her logic, has a more emotional response: “They are [Palestinians] “They got their chance… now is our chance.” These are things you don’t hear out loud and are treated with the utmost respect for all viewpoints across the divisions of the dinner table.