Written by playwright Alan Ayckbourn and directed by Katie Laris, the SBCC Theatre Group’s production of A Small Family Business features a collection of amusingly terrible people basking in the spoils of capitalism. The titular family business is furniture production, and of late, business has not been booming. Jack McCracken (played by Paul Canter), son-in-law of the business’s founder, takes over when his dotty father-in-law retires. McCracken, staunchly honest and unwavering in his strict moral code, discovers that the corruption that’s draining the business is calling from inside the house.
And what a house it is. Designed by Patricia Frank, the set includes an open-faced, two-story flat with a bedroom, living room, dining room, kitchen, and bathroom. The space serves as four separate domiciles, one for each arm of the family unit, often used simultaneously to show overlapping conversations and events happening in different homes. It’s a challenging way to write a scene, and it’s impressive to see these interactions work together so seamlessly.
The issues with the show, however, extend beyond a laissez-faire pacing that isn’t suggestive of farce; more importantly, A Small Family Business lacks enough self-awareness to rise above sitcom territory. While the show is entertaining enough at face value, there is so much to mine in the family’s persistent obsession with wealth. This lack of a specific overall viewpoint lowers audience investment in the characters, who come across as less multifaceted than their potential. “Lightly criminal” is fun, sure, but more complex choices on the spectrum of stupid, immoral, unaware, and manipulative would create a more interesting dynamic.
Highlights include Felicia Hall as the boisterous, savvy Anita, who leads the family’s underground income scheme with an eyeroll and a whip. She’s an effective foil to her head-in-the-clouds husband (Nicholis Sheley) and Canter’s tightly wound McCracken. A Small Family Business runs at the Garvin Theatre through March 21. Click here for tickets.
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