Relics review – toxic heirloom cues hugely entertaining family clash

Lyric Hammersmith, London
Four siblings squabble over an art treasure possibly stolen by their grandfather in this riotous play by Ben Ockrent

Ben Ockrent’s black comedy about a family in mourning has distinct strains of the ludicrous, though the cartoonish absurdities creep in gradually. But then families are ludicrous: badly behaved and falling into their early, childish roles, especially in extremis.

The extreme situation here is not the recent death of a mother in itself, which has led four adult siblings to gather at her home and hash out matters of inheritance, but a single item passed down by their grandfather which brings them to blows.

At Lyric Hammersmith, London, until 18 July