Familial ties are tender. Whether it’s a mother, a sister or a fading father figure, everyone has their story and their heartaches. Paul Gilchrist delves into the calamities of one such family in his new play Toy Box.

Olivia (played by Sylvia Keays), is 24 and against having children and starting her own family, as she is trying too hard to escape the one she’s already in. Her sister Kate, (Sarah Loxley) makes cameo appearances in her sibling’s lives, in between nappy changes, feedings and chanting her catchphrase “I’m too busy”, while their brother Michael (Chris Turner) copes with the internal rumours about the breakdown of his relationship. Toy Box invites us to sit and observe how family can turn against itself and crumble under its own weight.

Gilchrist subjects the notion of growing up to a penetrating interrogation, endeavouring to comprehend when and if it occurs. As the lives onstage start unravelling their sad stories, the parents, Judith (Jennie Dibley) and Peter (Dave Kirkham) simultaneously start to come undone. As Peter’s short-term memory fades furiously and Judith’s body is riddled with cancer, you start looking for an adhesive to keep this family together. Orating Gilchrist’s existential contemplations, Judith repeatedly refers to herself as a ‘toy’ and being ‘toyed with’ and that she shall be ‘put in the box’, constantly in reflection of life, her regrets, and what makes it all worth it.

It's a tragic tale but directed well, enabling a sensitive giggle here and there, to lighten the load of this family's (and many others like it) woes.

Toy Box is playing at TAP Gallery until April 17, so jump in, close the lid and lose yourself in this moving tale.