The sold-out premiere season of Sleepyhead was critically applauded in Melbourne for its gothic undertones and wicked dark humour, but unfortunately its hometown debut doesn’t get it quite right.
Set in rural Australia, we meet Eleanor (Amy Murray) and Genevieve (Louise Cocks), two very different sisters alone and isolated from the world by their Dad (Alex Jones). When he disappears from the picture, Eleanor and Genevieve’s lives begin to unravel as they confront ghosts from the past, mysterious phone calls and a stranger whose presence divides the household.
Nathaniel Moncrieff’s script holds so much potential in its warped and unsettling storytelling which makes it particularly disappointing to see it held down by the direction. Much needed momentum was lost with a pace that wasn’t creepily slow or wickedly fast. Add to this the long and clunky scene changes which weren’t always needed and there was never much surprise at what came next. It felt like the play had been drained of suspense by the end. Gareth Bradshaw’s direction seemed too heavy handed at times, not embracing the creepiness of subtle sugestion and opting for a harder approach.
But to Moncrieff’s credit, the relationship between Eleanor and wheel-chair bound Genevieve is nicely crafted as a constant battle for love, power and a future. Amy Murray puts in a good effort as Eleanor, delivering a wicked monologue that mixes sex and religion in the most sordid of ways. But it is Louise Cocks’ emotional portrayal of innocent Genevieve that is particularly satisfying to watch. Adam Shuttleworth puts in a strong cameo as a friend of the family, yet his character seemed to undermine the isolation that Moncrieff and Bradshaw created for the girls. The arrival of a bloodied and startled stranger (Kirsty Marillier) felt like the fresh breath that the story needed to keeping moving forward but the way the sisters deal with her arrival falls short of where it could have gone.
There were a few issues with blocking and sightlines that were obvious enough once an audience was introduced into the space. It was also frustrating to see some actors ‘cheating out’ (facing the audience instead of the other actor) so much, that they lost the connection required on stage.
Sleepyhead shouldn’t have been as disappointing as it was, it has a good script and a solid group of committed actors, but it’s heavy-handed delivery leaves a lot of be desired.
It runs at The Blue Room Theatre until Friday 10th February.
