Archie Christoph-Allen and Rosie Cavaliero in Personal Values [Helen Murray]

CHLOË Lawrence-Taylor’s bittersweet play about estranged siblings explores hoarding as a means of coping with loss.

Veda (Holly Atkins) visits her sister Bea (Rosie Cavaliero) in her cluttered home. Once close, we learn that the last time they spoke was at their dad’s funeral.

Bea seems to have inherited their father’s propensity to hoard. Since he died, it’s become unmanageable, the staircase has disappeared and she can barely move around the living room, where she now sleeps.

Bea is in an emotional cul-de-sac and one wonders if she will ever find her way out. The state of the house means she can’t have anyone round or make new friends.

Surprisingly, the first half of this compact one-hour drama leans towards gentle comedy. Lawrence-Taylor’s sibling dynamics ring true, although Bea is the more rounded character with Veda serving as her foil.

As the sisters circle around one another we begin to see the relationship they once had and lost. When Veda tells Bea she’s ill, the play moves down a gear and takes on a sombre mood.

In the final 15 minutes we meet Veda’s son Ash (Archie Christoph-Allen making his professional debut).

He reconnects with Bea, dealing with grief and loss in his own way, but this final scene feels tacked on.

Naomi Dawson’s set is a convincing jumble of boxes, bags, vinyl, catalogues, cutlery and an electric keyboard, while Max Pappenheim’s evocative soundscape conveys a vivid sense of a house creaking and groaning under the emotional and physical weight of Bea’s disorder.

The three-strong cast give sympathetic performances, and director Lucy Morrison deftly manages the play’s tonal shifts. Personal Values is a promising debut, but there’s room for Lawrence-Taylor’s knotty themes to be developed further.

Until May 17
hampsteadtheatre.com/