You Were In My Dream Last Night - Fringe Review

You Were In My Dream Last Night ★★★★

When: 4.50pm, March 21st-22nd

Where: The Chapel in the Courtyard of Curiosities at the Migration Museum

Written, directed, and performed by Adelaide local Bobbie Viney, You Were In My Dream Last Night is a captivating look into the nature of dreams, relationships, and grief. The one-hour play weaves a story through awkward silences, Berlin nightclubs, and touching songs with all the manic energy of a woman who hasn’t slept in three days.

Upon entering The Chapel, the audience is greeted with an intimate setting. A small room, nearly half of which is taken up by the stage, contains four or five rows of seats in which — being some of the first in line — my sister and I sat in the front row, right against the stage. The stage setup is simple: a mirror on the right, keyboard and stool on the left, a wooden chair in the centre, and above it all hangs a projection of a closed window. The minimal production is well suited for the overall atmosphere of the performance, one of awkward fumbling eventually leading to a soul laid bare as Viney grieves a loss that hasn’t come.

Viney’s writing and performance were captivating, drawing you in with a frazzled but vulnerable energy and leading you through tangents upon tangents about dreams, crows, and death. Eventually, it all culminates with a dream-turned-nightmare about her dead or dying father, with Viney growing increasingly louder until she’s shouting, a juxtaposition that puts the audience on the edge of their seats.

The play also included a handful of songs throughout, gently played on the keyboard onstage. Though I did enjoy the one about living on a trash island during the apocalypse, undoubtedly the most touching song was the last one, detailing the fraught relationship between a girl and her father. The continuous re-working of the song as it was being performed perfectly portrayed a sense of anxiety, confusion, and an inability to put feelings into words in emotional times.

I would recommend You Were In My Dream Last Night to anyone looking for an intimate experience, and who isn’t afraid of playing some I Spy with a stranger.