HIR

Hir is a wild, confronting play about a decaying middle American family of four, each groping through some transition.

Disgraced soldier Isaac arrives back from Afghanistan to find his once orderly family in complete chaos - clothes strewn everywhere, the kitchen abandoned, walls pitted with holes and his once controlling Dad, Arnold, sleeping in a cardboard box.

His Mum, Paige, is enthusing about the end of patriarchy and shuns all domestic aspiration, emasculating her stroke-ravaged husband by dressing him in nighties and wigs.

Isaac’s teenage sister Max meanwhile is now his brother or, correctly, his transgender/queer sibling. Hir (she/he) no-gender world is an inspiration for her mother; it’s Paige’s lodestar to a new American future to match her arch-feminism, but Issac is appalled. He resorts to military simplicities to restore order and at least some masculinity by re-dressing his Dad.

These are flawed and egocentric humans, but US playwright and outlandish performance artist, Taylor Mac, is masterly at making our empathy for each dance either way.  Paige may be cruel and pitiless to poor Arnold, and even suggests her homeless son should choose suicide, yet we understand when we know how she was abused. 

Taylor Mac’s other standout is his outrageous wit, sweetening his dark truths while his farcical eye enlivens his insights into the battles today of gender ideologies. 

Jodine Muir captures this stubborn, new-born woke-ness of Paige and brings vital energy to the early family tirades. Patrick Howard directs well the difficult balance between farce and family pain, if not all the required comic beats or theatrical movement to underpin the arguments.

His cast is impressive: Muir and a rascally Rowan Greaves convincing as an infirmed Arnold, Lola Kate Carlton both fierce and funny as young Max and Luke Visentin consistency true and engaging as the lost Isaac.

Victor Kalka’s domestic design is suitably unloved and middle American while Can Hardman’s costumes are lively and inventive, especially for Paige and Max.  Hir is well worth transitioning to the New.

Martin Portus

Photos (c) Chris Lundie