When we become so lost in our own loneliness, how do we find connection?
4000 Miles, the first production of Sydney Theatre Company’s 2025 season, is a play built on contrasts. It is about the separation of family, as expressed by a grandmother’s close relationship with her grandson. It explores distance, though is set in a tiny living room. It concerns the ubiquitous experience of trauma, as felt by four starkly different characters. And yet through these contrasts it expresses something universal: we are all lonely, but it does not need to be this way.
Written by Amy Herzog and directed by Kenneth Moraleda, 4000 Miles is primarily about the relationship between 21-year-old Leo (Shiv Palekar) and his 91-year-old grandmother Vera (Nancye Hayes). Leo, travelling across America on his bike, unexpectedly arrives at Vera’s apartment in New York’s West Village. Tired, weary, and in need of a shower, Vera agrees to house him for a few days without his mother’s knowledge. Their co-living situation quickly turns into a bonding experience marked by therapy style discussions, drug-taking, and visits from Leo’s ex Bec (Ariadne Sgouros) and one-night stand Amanda (Shirong Wu).
Herzog‘s script is a slow burner. It starts off sluggishly in an effort to build up its two main characters, their personalities, and respective loneliness. Though its humour somewhat offsets this, the writing really picks up when the play explores its themes. It’s dissection of Leo and Vera’s reasons for being lonely feels authentic. Herzog’s monologues offering a nuanced view into the characters’ lives that brings out their humanity – neither character is perfect, and Herzog’s dialogue embraces that. It also offers a lot to Bec and Amanda. These characters who do not appear frequently on stage, but their words add depth to Leo and Vera’s experiences while expressing their own vulnerabilities and loneliness well.
The cast grasp the energy of Herzog’s script well. Palekar is highly compelling as Leo. He portrays Leo’s development from a broken 21-year-old man to someone with a sense of direction (albeit not fully healed) in a sophisticated, clever, and understandable way. Leo’s struggle with his trauma is clear, as are the methods he uses to overcome it. Hayes capitalises on her extensive experience when playing Vera, taking her from a caring (if politically incorrect) elderly lady to someone with deeply repressed but long-lasting damage. Throughout this transformation, Hayes thankfully always manages to nail Vera’s comical dialogue in a way that lightens the mood. Sgouros makes her Sydney Theatre Company debut with a performance that strongly supports Palekar, and Wu’s brief performance in her one scene is entertaining and highly memorable.
Moraleda‘s direction is sound. His use of technology – the script includes a Skype call between Leo and his sister Lilly – is flawlessly executed. The set designed by Jeremy Allen is exquisite. The living room where the action takes place is small but filled with interesting trinkets and props. Lighting Designer Kelsey Lee‘s employment of a light off stage left, signifying the outside of Vera’s apartment, is clever. Finally, Voice & Text Coach Charmian Gradwell‘s work is obvious, with the cast’s American accents rarely dropped and not gimmicky.
Ultimately, 4000 Miles is a pleasant season opener. Though its impact is not particularly long-lasting, should it indicate what Sydney Theatre Company has in store for 2025, it will be a very fine year ahead.
