Surely destined to be performed at larger venues
Brad Sutherland’s new play, Until She Sleeps, puts modern relationships under the microscope, questioning the real reasons that couples choose to persist in relationships that are falling apart. Providing an intimate look behind the closed doors of a failing marriage, this high-tension, Hitchcockian drama challenges its audience to reflect on what true love really looks like, write Jake Millicheap.
As the play begins, the audience are greeted as new members of ‘the club’, of which husband and wife Edward and Henrietta Dunbar (Jonathan Hansler and Tonya Cornelisse) are held in particularly high esteem. Cast members eerily grinning and conversing with the audience, this jovial introduction doesn’t last longas we are quickly transported to Edward and Henrietta’s home. Peeling back the curtain, it becomes clear that mistrust has crept into the marriage of the club’s pre-eminent couple.
Combining dark humour with hints of surrealism, Until She Sleeps depicts a highly complex relationship in which the protagonists speak the unspeakable. Trading insults at lightning speed, the chemistry between Hansler and Cornelisse is palpable, resulting in a tension that is equal parts hilarious and excruciating to watch – a testament to the actors’ powerful performances and commitment to their roles. The power dynamics constantly shift between Edward and Henrietta, presenting a couple that, despite their deep-rooted resentment towards one another, need each other no matter what.
Desperate to maintain their popularity at the sports club, a world in which hierarchy and status matter most, Edward and Henrietta are obsessed with how they are perceived by its members. Peering into their home, the audience bear witness to the contradictions between the couple’s public perception and what happens behind closed doors. The White Bear Theatre provides a fitting setting, its limited space lending itself to the intimate nature of the show, leaving the audience to feel like intruders in the Dunbars’ personal lives.
Treated as honorary members of the club, the audience are involved throughout, becoming active participants in the play’s climax as Edward drunkenly delivers a monologue at the club. Hansler is electric here, angrily lamenting about love and mortality, at times pointing and shouting at audience members as the tension reaches its peak.
The spectacularly boring Peter and Nicola Eastling (Rowland D. Hill and Robin Miller), longtime friends of Edward and Henrietta and fellow members of the club, bring a much needed balance to proceedings, their mundanity providing hilarious contrast to the Dunbars’ high-tempo slanging matches.
A minimalist set design – marble flooring, a white curtain, two chairs and a bed – is used to the play’s advantage, doubling up as the Dunbar household and the club. Sound design is used sparingly but effectively, birdsong helping to differentiate between the club and the home, and dramatic, cello-lead interludes allowing seamless transitions between scenes.
Exhilarating from start to finish, Until She Sleeps explores universally relatable themes in a thought-provoking way. A joy to see, it is surely destined to be performed at larger venues in the future.
White Bear Theatre,38 Kennington Park Road SE11 4DJ until 16th November, admission £17 & £15.
Booking: https://www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk/whatson/until-she-sleeps
