Enjoy the best dreams you've ever had in Bed at The Brockley Jack (From News Shopper)

Enjoy the best dreams you've ever had in Bed at The Brockley Jack

5:43pm Friday 21st September 2012 in Freetime latest news By Nikki Jarvis

I never stopped to think how much fun it would be to jump into bed with seven dreamy old folks and a disembodied, howling head.

But if I had, I don’t think I could ever really have done it justice in my imagination.

We’d gone along to see eccentric play Bed at Brockley Jack Studio Theatre on Tuesday night.

As promised, the set comprised of an enormous bed which had devoured most of the venue’s stage – it looked delightfully comfortable.

Tucked up was the incredibly talented cast, waiting to wow the audience with funny, sad and extraordinarily moving scenes during which we entered their fantasies.

It was like hopping onto an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.

All incredibly surreal, this isn’t a play I would encourage anyone to pull apart and analyse – the best advice is to sit back, relax and go with it.

Take from each very unusual scene what you will.

This marvellous group of actors has a combined age of more than 400, but they are nowhere close to reaching their sell-by dates.

All playing nameless, timeless characters, they went from quietly snoring to leaping into action and acting out their favourite memories and most traumatising life events.

Throughout this dynamic – and very British – show, the insomniac head sitting on the shelf behind them screamed about how jealous he was of their ability to sleep.

So green with envy this red-eyed ghoul was, he cruelly sabotaged our heroes’ dreams, turning them into nightmares.

With overtones of the London riots present, the bed-ridden bunch dealt with issues of British pride.

This mixed with disco dancing, speeding along down country roads and facing a full-blown thunderstorm out at sea meant bedtime was more exciting than ever before.

I fell in love with one particular couple who couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

Although I can understand some would find them sickly sweet, they melted my heart.

Finishing each other’s sentences, never letting go of one another (apart from when they got lost on an adventure looking for a glass of water), they portrayed what age-old true love should look like perfectly.

One touching scene, all about why she adored each wrinkle and memory etched onto his face, was just beautiful.

Through highs and lows, ups and downs, the whole dreamlike play was extraordinarily entertaining.

Jim Cartwright’s Bed runs at the Brockley Jack Studio Theatre until September 29.

For tickets visit brockleyjack.co.uk