The fantastic Park Theatre in Finsbury Park has long provided a home to brilliant original plays overlooked by the West End. The latest such production is Andrew Keatley’s compelling and heartwarming family drama The Gathered Leaves, brought to the stage by director Adrian Noble after more than a decade in gestation.
The play takes place in the grand family home of the Penningtons in a vague time period that gradually reveals itself as the late 1990s. The clan is gathering for the birthday of aged patriarch William, stern and aloof (his children call him by his forename) but withering after a diagnosis of dementia. Further complicating the already fraught familial get-together is the impending arrival of prodigal daughter Alice and her teenaged child Aurelia. It’s a shock for all, but for none more than William’s son Samuel, an enthusiastic and warm soul whose autism makes the upheaval even more confronting.
Though the squabbling of posh English families has been fictionalised countless times before, Keatley’s writing is sharp and the drama is compelling. The Gathered Leaves is moving but also uplifting and funny, thanks largely to a cast of mostly very likeable characters (with a few notable exceptions). Samuel’s playfulness and unfettered friendliness are a joy to watch; his relationship with his steadfastly devoted brother Giles is touching. Long-lost Aurelia joins the Pennington family as an outsider but quickly wins hearts with her cheerful optimism.
These characters are brought to life by a truly excellent cast; every performance is commendable, right down to the brief appearances from newcomers Ellis Elijah and Joe Burrell as Giles’ and Samuel’s younger selves. Their older counterparts do a similarly brilliant job, with Chris Larkin giving robust good humour to Giles and Jonathan Hyde doing what he does best as fearsome father figure William. And yet all are eclipsed by Richard Stirling as Samuel, undoubtedly the star of the show – utterly charismatic and loveable, drawing laughs and pulling on heartstrings in equal measure.
The Gathered Leaves does meander somewhat on its way to a narrative through-line, and occasionally hits upon too familiar beats, the put-upon mother, the middle-aged marital struggles, the know-it-all young ’uns. There are a few moments where the sentiment is laid on a little thick. But equally there are moments where Keatley cleverly subverts our expectations. William, for example, has an intriguing vulnerability and comedic sensibility at odds with his severe persona. Samuel’s geniality offers a refreshing counterpoint to more nuanced and realistic portrayals of autism in drama.
With an intelligent script and outstanding cast, The Gathered Leaves is a well-crafted and sincere production. It may have taken ten years to get a revival, but it’s been worth the wait.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
