You think your Christmas is hard? Try sharing it with Aryan - possibly alien - twins, a pottery-making lesbian life-partner, a brain-damaged supermodel, a perpetually unloved stoner son and a needy neighbour.
So goes The Outfit Theatre Company's description of its end-of-year farce, An Awkward Family Christmas, written by Tom Sainsbury. The cast, made up of Outfit regulars, also includes Chris Tempest, who's taking some time away from Shortland Street to perform with his old friends.
Producer Ema Barton doesn't think it's too much silly for the season, saying it's all part of the company's willingness to push the boundaries. "Our sense of humour meets Tom Sainsbury's writing. We've always had quite a dark sense of humour, but it's definitely a black comedy where we stick to the farce genre with lots of crazy goings-on. I think Tom is a writer who is not afraid to go where other people won't and that works for us."
Fans of The Outfit's fast-paced ensemble works may want to get along regardless, because it could be a few months before they see the company again. Barton says they want to take a break to consolidate gains they've made, particularly during the last 18 months, and determine a more definite direction and administrative structure.
"We can't take the step back that we need to in order to get to the next level when we're constantly rehearsing and going into production for the next show."
