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Review- The Little Sleep

November 17, 2008

Date Reviewed: 17th November, 2008
Venue: The Greenroom

star

The Little Sleep, by Pigeon Theatre, blurs the distinction between reality and fiction. It takes place in a kitchen not on a stage set; a fully-functioning , hot as blazes, kitchen has been constructed in The Green Room  in which, as the shows progresses, the cast and volunteers from the audience cook pies.

The members of the company play characters with whom they share names and, possibly, personal histories. The anecdotes, which make up much of the script, have a raw, autobiographical feel. Artistic director Anna Fenemore plays solitaty character, Anna. this, she claims, is a choice as she is becoming  increasingly intolerant of other people.

Gillian (played by Gillian Knox) is much less articulate than her friend and goes so far as to write out small talk in advance of social events. Her deconstruction of film noir classics The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon into a series of titles/ headings provides a structure for the play. Gillian has begun to worry that her friend is becoming a hermit . A series of conversations follow which allow the two women to air grievances and share embarrassments.

The Little Sleep features some interesting storytelling techniques not all of which work. One that does is the foreshadowing that tells us how the play will end but not the events that lead up to the conclusion. But for all that the events in the play seem to reflect the real-life  experiences of  the players they do not always have emotional impact. Only Anna’s realisation  that she has never visited her friend’s home shows how the sometimes thoughtless actions of one person can affect another.
During the lengthy preamble to the play Anna praises the participative and flexible nature of theatre. Yet the high level of improvisation sometimes works against the play. The technique generates successful audience participation and heartfelt laughter -  especially when a volunteer auditions as a potential lover for Anna. At times, however, the actors indulge themselves by trying to amuse or even distract each other - particularly when Gillian leaves the stage to go to the toilet.

The play lacks atmosphere, which is odd as it is inspired by two strong noir stories and takes place in a kitchen. The latter  can be tense environments, with people under pressure in close contact with hot surfaces and sharp edges, yet no sense of danger is communicated.

Bearing in mind that the play is supposed to be following the structure of classic detective stories the storytelling is not strong.  Detective/mystery stories satisfy as the clues click together leading to a solution that, even if you have not anticipated it, always seems inevitable in retrospect. The Little Sleep lacks this quality as well a sense of momentum so the story does not build step- by-  step to a resolution but rather gives the impression that the conclusion could have occurred at any point.

For all the imagination of the show The Little Sleep is only lukewarm; unlike the fine pies that, at its conclusion, were served for supper.

-Dave Cunningham

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