As published in the Sun Herald.
One long night in the land of Nod
Old Fitzroy Theatre
Until 3 October
Tickets $17-35
Bookings 1300 438 849
Critic’s Rating 8/10
A fly screen door slams shut on the back room of an old fibro shack in the middle of a drought-ridden farm. Aaron (Patrick Graham) sits in a half-light, drinking beer and holding a rifle.
His brother Kane (Chris Pitman) arrives in the middle of the night with news that his parents aren’t doing to well and Aaron is badly affected by the isolation of the farm.
Like Cain and Abel, the two are set against each other with jealousy, rivalry and desperation on a land beset by bad harvests. It’s a bleak outback Australia that may as well be the world of Genesis.
This production, directed by Iain Sinclair, pitches together two exceptional actors who are always a joy to watch. Graham is eerily unpredictable as Aaron and Pitman creates a Kane not unlike Atlas, with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
One long night in the land of Nod is the best new piece of Australian writing to hit Sydney’s independent stages all year.
Plywright Duncan Graham (who had another success with Ollie and the Minotaur earlier this year) has an ear for dialogue that transcends gender, space and time as he creates a mood that is hypnotic right up until the play’s haunting end. A must-see.
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