A little bit sleepy

Stuart Spencer’s century shifting, bed-hopping romp through American history leaves a smile but not a laugh.

Five vignettes speculate what might have happened had certain leading American figures consummated their politics. George III wakes up in bed with George Washington, but their passionate love cannot survive the insult of the Declaration of Independence, nor their differing opinions on slavery. Emily Dickinson, a shy, unconfident girl, has an illicit weeklong affair with the escaped slave Frederick Douglass, who convinces her to pursue poetry. Next, the headstrong Lizzie Borden tries to wed the rich John P. Morgan, but is instead struck by a murderous plan to acquire her own fortune. Marilyn Monroe huskily confesses to Lee Harvey Oswald that she is cheating on him with JFK and in a fit of passion he heads out the door with a shotgun. Finally, the ambitious and sex-mad figure skater Tanya Harding is visited by the previous characters and their combined wills culminate in a farcical climax.

The cast have fun with this silly script, but the jokes are too infrequent. Alex Lawler is fantastic as George Washington’s sharp-tongued slave and Prue Gillett is utterly fierce as Lizzie Borden, but many of the other characters suffer from wavering accents and a lack of complexity. The production is plagued by obvious political tirades and excruciatingly long scene changes, but there are a handful of gorgeously camp moments that almost save it. It’s a good premise and, with a little work, the script could be tightened and this could have the makings of a brilliant farce.

[Natasha Long]