At Home With The Sheridans

At Home With The Sheridans is one of WA playwright Yvette Wall’s best plays. First performed in 2023, this is a slightly extended version, nicely presented by Roxy Lane Theatre.             

Set designer Jim Chantry and set dresser Kirsten Halford-Bailey give us a beautiful lounge room, in Perth’s Western Suburbs, including some cute local references. It features a gorgeous lounge suite and tasteful decor. Supportively lit from a design by Tim Risen and featuring essential to the plot sound design from Luke Heath, costume design by Celeste Lopez is generally true to character (although the perfect fit of a particular jacket bends reality a tad).

We find Jake (a very believable Michael Hewson) and Marilyn (a beautifully scattered and fragile Genevieve Wilson) in the process of robbing the house. Despite being, conventionally, the villains of the piece, these well written, well-acted characters grow on us, despite their flaws and faults.

They are disturbed by man-of-the-house Max Sheridan returning to the house for a rendezvous with mistress Zoe. Max Sheridan is a fabulously written character, and one you love to hate, and Chris Harris leans into this nicely, although greater fluidity and faster pick-ups would help the pace of the show. Lisa Divall works well as employee Zoe, who quickly reveals that she is pregnant, only to be abandoned by Max.

The hostage situation of sorts is further complicated by the return of Mrs. Sheridan, or Beth, beautifully played by Emma Kirby.

A wonderful character driven black comedy that turns the expected on its head, with characters that are all flawed and all wonderfully interesting.

A great chance to see some locally grown theatre that packs a bit of a punch.

Kimberley Shaw