Irfan Shamji and Eric Sirakian in Sons of the Prophet. PHOTO: Marc Brenner

SONS OF THE PROPHET
Hampstead Theatre
☆☆☆

Stephen Karam’s 2011 bittersweet domestic drama centres on the Douaihy family, Lebanese-American Maronite Christians living in rural Pennsylvania. Gay brothers Joseph (Irfan Shamji) and Charles (Eric Sirakian) have just lost their dad. He died of a heart attack, a week after a freak car accident involving a deer decoy left in the road as a prank.

The culprit is Vin (Raphael Akuwudike), a talented college footballer. A judge rules that he can compete his football season before serving a juvenile detention sentence.

Joseph has to deal with the fallout from this, his fractured family and his own health problems. He used to be an athlete but crippling pain in his knees has left him reliant on medication and a series of never-ending tests that he can ill afford.

He works for self-absorbed Gloria (Juliet Cowan) in the unglamorous world of book packaging, because the health insurance covers his medical bills.

She is excited to learn that he is a descendent of Khalil Gibran (author of bestselling book The Prophet) and tries to exploit this connection. She even threatens to cut off his health insurance if he refuses to write her a family memoir.

Meanwhile, Charles and Joseph struggle with bereavement and try to move on. There are other plot strands involving their prejudiced, irascible uncle Bill (Raad Rawi) and an ambitious news reporter, Timothy (Jack Holden).

This is a lot to pack in over 100 minutes. Initially Karam keeps his various balls in the air. However, just when we’re expecting some concrete dramatic resolution, he appears to run out of steam; the play stutters and peters out – several threads are resolved in a couple of lines.

It’s a shame, because there’s some terrific writing in the early scenes, the acting is impressive, Bijan Sheibani directs with his usual panache and there’s plenty to draw a wry smile.

Until January 14
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