Christmas Day review β Sam Grabiner serves up gripping dinner-table debate
Almeida theatre, London
A north London Jewish family share a meal β and heated arguments β in this complex and courageous drama
Stella Adler, the renowned actor and teacher of Yiddish origin, believed theatre to be a βspiritual and social X-ray of its timeβ. That might be an ever more unattainable ideal in our time of Punch and Judy politics, culture wars and artistic self-censorship. This is one of the reasons why Sam Grabinerβs play about a north London Jewish family eating dinner on Christmas Day feels so singularly outspoken.
It begins lightly with humour (βYouβre not Larry David, youβre from Hendonβ), then builds to bickering and full-on fallouts, covering antisemitism, spirituality, belonging and how the Israel-Gaza war has shaped these Londonersβ sense of self. There is certainly no conflation of Israel and Jewishness but a deliberate foray into this highly charged and contested ground.
At Almeida theatre, London, until 8 January
Continue reading...
Β© Photograph: Marc Brenner

Β© Photograph: Marc Brenner

Β© Photograph: Marc Brenner


