Between the Sheets (Owl & Cat) – theatre review

Bold (to a point) and imaginative, writer and director Thomas Ian Doyle’s latest work Between the Sheets straddles the line between film and theatre. The contention is you don’t really need to “act” to appear on film, but theatre takes a lot more time and effort.

Tristan Beckett (Jayden Popik) has signed a $32 million contract with an acting agency, operated by a character known merely as London (David Macrae). Beckett is hot property – incredibly famous and bored with the fame game. Now in his twenties, he first appeared amid much fanfare as a 12 year old. Beckett is aloof, but highly irresistible to women. Among them is his latest dalliance, Laquenta (Carolyn Dawes), his leading lady in his next movie, Claire Cassidy (Gabrielle Savrone) and that film’s director, Jan Pickering (Jessica Stanley), London’s best client. As “hot” as Beckett is, London regards Cassidy (Gabrielle Savrone) as even more critical to the success of his business and she recently decided to branch out from film into theatre, with disastrous consequences. Now London’s idea is to cash in on his two stars by arranging for them to marry, obviously a sham to get them on the front cover of tabloids. That doesn’t go down all that well with Beckett’s girlfriend, Laquenta, who has fallen for him hook, line and sinker.

Before this one is over, London’s agency will face extinction when sexually explicit videos of his wunderkind are leaked online … and that happens when Beckett is shooting a family friendly comedy. In fact, all London’s performers’ careers are under threat because of those tapes.

Between the Sheets starts with video footage of the characters in the play interacting. This appears on a deliberately uneven white backdrop consisting of several sheets, including a fitted bed sheet, against the front wall and as many as eight sheets strung from the ceiling. It is a clever device from which Beckett and Laquenta emerge in person.

Much later, a “live” Beckett gets it on with a pre-taped Claire Cassidy, in an excellent scene in which the two art forms, theatre and film, merge into one. More rehearsal wouldn’t have gone astray, allowing the actors greater time to get totally comfortable with and inculcated in their respective roles.  You see, all involved in this production had literally a week from when it was written until it was performed on stage.

I wanted to care more about the characters than I did. Perhaps that required them to be more likeable and for more dialogue to establish their true colours and what they represented. As it was, they were shallow. Another thing that struck me was that as a play about sexuality, in large measure the actors were restrained, often appearing semi naked or in their underwear rather than in the raw. As a bold writer and director Thomas Ian Doyle hasn’t held back previously and he shouldn’t do so now. Between the Sheets builds momentum – turning more comedic as it progresses – which was undoubtedly the right direction to take.

This world premiere production runs for 60 minutes without interval and is playing at The Owl and Cat Theatre until 19th August. Most encouragingly, the theatre company continues to push the envelope, giving opportunities for young proponents of their craft to ply their wares. Living on the edge has its risks, but as an avid theatre goer it is most exciting to enter 34 Swan Street, Richmond with no conception of what they are prepared to try and do next.

Alex First