Bittersweet, comes this slapstick, but poignant tale of sisters looking to escape from their mundane small-town (Dumfordton, population 340 and falling) existence. To do so, with her school dropout, songwriting little sister Shannon’s (Alana Louise) undying support, 25-year-old Jodi (Sarah Palmieri) has her heart set on winning Simon Cowell’s the X-Factor.
Shannon has a history of picking the winners of that talent competition and next year she firmly believes it will be Jodi’s turn. The pair lives with their priest father (Jason Schwab) and work in the family’s funeral parlour business, Jodi often singing soulful arias as the dear departed is put to rest. Their mother left them and their dad for a charismatic masseuse during a holiday to Bali three and a half years ago.
With the X-Factor auditions just six months away, Jodi and Shannon continue to brainstorm ideas daily. Jodi has also been taking singing lessons in town twice a week for the past three years. But suddenly the air is sucked out of their grand plans when, for the first time, Shannon’s radar about this year’s X-Factor winner is off kilter.
It is then that Jodi acknowledges that Shannon – who at age 15 said her favourite animal was the Loch Ness Monster – isn’t the full bottle. In fact, she has a tendency to go off with the pixies. The pair falls out, before tragedy strikes.
And just where does the dead mouse come into proceedings? It has everything to do with a slow mate of the girls named Ronald (Joe Kenny) taking a heavy-handed approach to a rodent early on in the piece. That is after he sees the family running around their home like headless chooks wielding butterfly nets and a broom when they spot the litter critter.
So, it is that death and aspiration sit side by side in this dark, energetic, physical comedy. The Deadmouse and Peabrain Dreams also introduces a range of other colourful characters drawn from the town, as realised by Joe Kenny and Jason Schwab.
The play is the result of a chance meeting between the performers and producer at clown school and then living out their dreams of creating a theatre company. Hence Alright? (yes, that is the name of the company) was born.
The outcome is awfully silly, but laugh aloud funny, beneath which lies an emotional core. It raises questions about how much one could or should rely upon a single goal and what happens when doubts start creeping into your head. Who can one turn to, especially in a town where you are stuck and everyone knows everyone else’s business?
Each of the cast members impresses with their comedic representations, with Alana Louise, who wrote the work, leading the way, tapping into Shannon’s DNA. What stands out is how she carries herself throughout, notably her facial expressions. She is always in the moment, giving it her all.
Sarah Palmieri is able to flip from hero to zero (from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows) at the drop of a hat. Give Jason Schwab and Joe Kenny a piece of clothing, a wig or some fake teeth and, like magic, they instantly channel a totally different role. Nice!
With a series of popular music choices woven into the script and an appropriate religious setting as the backdrop, there is mayhem, madness and mirth about The Deadmouse and Peabrain Dreams. It is Melbourne’s turn to experience the creativity, joy and sorrow of a production that has already played in Paris, London and at the Edinburgh Fringe. Sixty minutes without interval, it is on at Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory until 21st February, 2026.
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Turn, Turn, Turn (Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory) – theatre review
- HE (Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory – theatre review
- He Partied Like It’s 1999, at Theatre Works’ Explosives Factory – theatre review
Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.