Half a century ago Bedtime Monsters might have been crafted as a naturalistic ‘kitchen sink’ drama, contrasting the lifestyles of Adeline, the struggling younger sister who short-circuited her life by getting pregnant as a teenager, and her older sister Greer, who took off to London on the fabled OE and wasn’t there for her, as she had been when they were little … Using ‘fly on the wall’ conventions, their past would have been reported through adult reminiscence and a bubbling up of recriminations in a ‘slice of life’ play stuck in one room.

Now playwright Henrietta Bollinger brings key elements of each sister’s story – and those of their male partners – into multi-located present action with the same actors playing themselves as adults and as children, and director Shannon Friday stages it in the round, using simple ‘poor theatre’ conventions. It works a treat.

In addition, three roaming ‘Goblins’, as they are listed in the programme, become seen by me as ever-present manifestations of Adeline’s underlying fear / sadness / depression at how adult life has turned out, although sometimes they are the ‘grey grumps’ who inhabit the world when the sisters are coping and happy. Plus they add the odd voice: of children, arguing parents, tube station announcers … (It emerges – and is confirmed by post-play research – that they are the cerebral residue of the book Adeline most liked Greer to read to her: Maurice Sendak’s Outside Over There.)

As we find our seats, a young be-suited man sits in the centre of the circle as if awaiting interrogation. The sad-eyed Goblins with dark shadows under their lifeless eyes – Katie Boyle, Michael Hebenton, Ania Upstill – are adrift in the space around him, within and beyond the ring of chairs. Also on the move, with differing dynamics, are a brisk young woman trying to find her way using a cellphone app, a contemplative man taking a stroll and a deeply sad young woman who is given to gazing in desolation at the seated man. Even before the play proper starts, The Lord Lackbeards have set up lots for us to enquire into and discover.  

It turns out Mark (Tom Kereama) is suffering yet another doomed job interview, he is in a relationship – not that he liked to call it that, given his parents’ track record – with Adeline (Chennoah Walford), they have a baby, Sophie, and he’s too proud to ask his brother for a job. The stress of their current circumstances – concisely characterised with a laundry basket of baby clothes – is contrasted with flashbacks to their lively, energetic and uphill courtship.  

Sheets create a canopy for the sisters in their childhood bed where Greer’s role as loving protector of the younger Adeline is firmly established – then tested when Greer goes away on a school camp.

Greer (Cassandra Tse) is now in London where she meets – in a Tube station – Englishman Thom (David Lafferty), who works in Foreign Affairs. Despite intending to return to NZ, Greer misses the birth of Sophie and her first two birthdays …

It requires a bit of work on our parts, keeping up with the changes in location and timeframe and registering intentions and desires compared with what actually happens. I do get a bit lost trying to follow exactly how Thom’s job drives their fortunes and what it is that Greer does before they too become parents. And – once Greer has returned to NZ with Thom – a random encounter between compassionate ‘rescuer’ Thom and down-on-his-self-esteem Mark, when neither knows who the other is, sits oddly amid what we’ve been given to understand about the distance between their respective places.

Being, as I understand it, Bollinger’s second play (the first was called A Cripple Talks about Anatomy), it’s not surprising she’s wanted to include every possible relevant, interesting and useful detail. Although there is a ‘tip of the iceberg’ feel to what we see, less could still be more. And the question of viewpoint – whose subjective reality is being shared with us? – may also prove a valuable discipline in further writing. But there is no doubt a strong and perceptive playwright, whose understanding of the truth and pain of human existence inevitably produces insightful humour, is emerging here.

What makes this 80-minute play and production so compelling is the actors’ total immersion in the ever-changing emotional states through which their characters pass, aided by the fluency of the staging. For all the meta-theatrics there is no doubt they, and we, are fully engaged with the true human experiences the playwright seeks to share. 

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer

An in-the-round seating configuration is from where we watch Lord Lackbeard’s ‘Bedtime Monsters’, written by Henrietta Bollinger, directed by Shannon Friday.

Actors in zombie-esque clothing and deep, dark bags under their eyes roam the space, making sucking noises (like dementors), with dead eyes and slow movements. This is quite an intimidating and impressively terrifying way to start the show, but they don’t approach us; I realised quickly they are safe.

These shadows of people slowly retreat into the background as the ‘real’ characters introduce themselves through snippets of their lives. We have a couple of teen parents (Chennoah Walford and Tom Kereama), a nervous young lady in London on her OE (Cassandra Tse) and a friendly London chap (David Lafferty), and the two ladies as young children.

Throughout the show, the heavily-breathing symbols of… something… provide borders and movement, with sheets, to give us a child’s fort, a dinner table, a motion of waves or just ebbing and flowing in general. They are a solid backdrop, a well-choreographed aspect, and they float about seamlessly. It’s refreshing to see actors not speaking but being effective still, thanks to their focus and use of breath.

I must mention David Lafferty who plays the English boyfriend. His acting has an extraordinary ease, absolutely seamless; not one overdone syllable, not one unnaturally-felt move. He is strangely fabulous to watch. I would like to have seen more interaction between his character and others, his particular way of subtly asserting himself could make for some powerful and less clichéd scenes with characters outside of his partner.

Chennoah Walford, too, is hard not to watch. She is strong in voice, movement and conviction; she gives gutsiness and inspires empathy in me during sentimental couple scenes I might otherwise get bored with. More layering in the tone could be a great addition too.

One scene that sticks out is a small one, but very effective. Two sisters and a brother-in-law-to-be speak at a dinner table that revolves, as they revolve with it. Without giving it away, one sister realises her life has been belittled, or merely brushed off, or possibly been an embarrassment to her older sister. This is a brilliant conflict, tension and thematic meeting point in the play. Walford, Tse and Lafferty deliver this brilliantly, giving the great script a real burst of life.

I really would like to see more interaction between all characters together, instead of in couples or trios. I think there is enough meat within the very situations of the characters, the movement of the plot and the questions inadvertently bought up. In terms of the script, I feel these questions or ideas could be pushed further into effect with something other than slightly philosophical dialogue; I feel at times that the characters are spelling out what is clearly already there. The overall writing is by far good enough not to be over-cooked.

What a talented group of proactive, talented and dedicated young performers.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer