Bedtime For Bastards

A triple bill by Van Badham dripping in vicious wit and insane carnage. To a degree.


Dollops of satire with a side dish of acerbic wit, Bedtime for Bastards is a fast hit leaving no room for sensibilities. Three stories, three locations, three times the fire. Tight and brutal, the different stories all speak with a harsh tone of intensity and sheer nakedness.

Capital, with Nick Curnow and Kim Knuckey, centres around the cut-throat world of PR. Collecting fairy-floss from a heated drum, their work is spinning madness into good. Stripping down each element presented, the two work a feverish campaign, their minds open and churning for all in the audience to see. A work of a work-in-progress. The chaos, the uncertainty, the doubt, the absolutely energy is nothing short of electric. Curnow and Knuckey work well against each other, especially when they seem to be in quiet conflict over details. A deft fight scene making their otherwise entirely cerebral exercise an even sweatier endeavour.

In Morning on a Rainy Day with Emma Harris and Johann Walraven, the scene moves from New York to London. Lovers in the midst of acceptance and realisation, their connection and disconnection is palatable. Making room for time, Morning on a Rainy Day moves at a slower pace, leaving breathes for pause and reflection of situations and conversations. Touching up on a loose relationship, the two are distraught in their own arms and never quite there. A wholly engaging insight into the disparity of never quite knowing the why and when of love.

Kitchen, with Nathan Brown and Tricia Ryan, takes all the blood curdling laughs lingering in the air and throws them hard into the audience. Relentless in its dark and morbid humour, the script slices open a vein that just won't heal itself. Brown and Ryan clearly enjoy every line and movement, their ebullience simmering underneath the dermis. Watching the train wreck of their marriage after the effects of downsizing and outsourcing makes for a guilt trip without the guilt. Spreading farther out than the previous two parts of the bill, Kitchen knows no boundaries as it makes effective use of the dark and surprising elements constantly sing the performance.

Taking the grey of disputes and challenges, Bedtime for Bastards is a three part cauldron making for a complete whole. The relationships between the acts complement each other well. Falling inside of 30 minutes each, it's a wonder if their punch may diminish on an extended play.


Bedtime for Bastards ran from 2 - 27 November 2005 at the Crypt Theatre, at the Cat and Fiddle Hotel, Rozelle.

Soon Van

Published November 2005 at The Program - NSW Stage reviews

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