REVIEW: MIND FULL by Tom Hartwell at The Hope Theatre 3-11 March 2023

‘carefully balanced between a (dissolving) love story and humour that doesn’t only touch the surface but aims to dig a bit deeper’ ★★★★

The staging at The Hope is always surprising, usually in some form of theatre-in-the-round. This show puts a double bed in the centre with a night table beside holding two glasses of water, a lamp, a plant and a phone. There is a body sleeping on one side of the bed, and beside it, on the pillow, another mobile phone. Clearly, this person is not meant to sleep alone. Or even sleep at all.

We spend 26 years of our lives sleeping, according to James (Tom Hartwell, writer), a stand-up comic and the male partner in this double-hander. According to him, he has “never been great in bed… (pa-da-boom) … sleeping”. A clever line to go with a clever title, which unveils itself immediately, as we discover that James’ head is so full of thoughts that he can’t sleep. It doesn’t help that his ex-girlfriend Claire’s (Katherine Moran) voice is everywhere: she is, after all, a Voiceover actor for meditation apps (at one point self-deprecatingly describing her audition as “Darth Vader with a cold”). He needs her voice to fall asleep and she seeps into his dreams, and it is his subconscious that adds the sexual references.

Claire is lovable (wonderfully portrayed by Moran), and it is disheartening to see the pair’s trajectory. The story cleverly delves into the ideas of free speech within and without a romantic relationship. What is the line when a stand-up comic wants to share their personal stories? A microphone on its stand is at the ready to be used so regularly that it feels like the ‘stage’ takes over their intimate spaces. And that’s the point.

The story starts with the breakup and then rewinds to the original meet cute, with talk of challenges to sleep, especially REM, the sleep stage (not the band), and the impact of alcohol on sleep. It discusses breakup challenges: who DOES get access to the joint WhatsApp groups? James spends his nights googling questions that pop into his mind, anything from the most hot dogs ever eaten at once to what George Clooney does with his Nespresso earnings. One can’t help but wonder if he is his own worst enemy. And that is the beauty of the production. Without being didactic, you can recognize your own pitfalls when it comes to ensuring a good night’s sleep.

Wonderfully directed, the piece is carefully balanced between a (dissolving) love story and humour that doesn’t only touch the surface but aims to dig a bit deeper. The ending was tantalisingly open and left my mind full of possible directions this story could go.

MIND FULL

Written by Tom Hartwell

Performed by Katherine Moran, Tom Hartwell

Directed by Conor Cook

Lighting Design by Jonathan Simpson

Sound Design and Stage Manager: Conor Cook

Reviewed by Mariam Mathew