Written by Amy Herzog. Directed by Kenneth Moraleda
4000 Miles is a witty, inter-generational comedy that is surprisingly sad between the laughs
Reviewed by Mary Anne Reid
Wharf Theatre, Dawes Point
Until 23rd March 2025
Tickets: https://www.sydneytheatre.com.au/whats-on/productions/2025/4000-miles
Type: Comedy, Drama,
If you liked: The Father (2020), Ali Wong, ‘Love, Love, Love’
This top-notch production of 4000 Miles, by American playwright Amy Herzog, takes a humorous look at some of the big things that divide us: geography, age and…yes, gender!! It has previously been produced in Sydney (in 2013) but is more relevant than ever in the polarised culture of the 2020s. It’s a timely play that is set to reinforce it’s foundational themes.
20-year-old Leo (Shiv Palekar) arrives unannounced at the New York apartment of his elderly grandmother Vera (Nancy Hayes) after riding his bike from west to east coast USA. It’s clear that all is not well with Leo; he’s not talking to his west coast parents, and his relationship with this girlfriend, now attending college in New York, appears to be falling apart. We also learn that tragedy has befallen Leo’s best friend, who accompanied Leo on the first half of the bike trip.
Vera, too, is struggling to stay afloat as her body ages and her mental acuity declines. She encourages Leo to stay, and his late-night visit extends into weeks. There are plenty of laughs watching the two of them interact in the early scenes of the show – effectively aliens to each other in outlook, yet bonded by family ties.
The two lead actors, under the direction of Kenneth Moraleda, deliver terrific performances, as does the supporting cast. One of funniest scenes is where Leo brings Chinese-American Amanda (Shirong Wu) home to Vera’s apartment after a night of drinking. As Vera is an old lefty, the library behind the couch is stuffed with books on Marx and communism. This is a nod to social responsibility for Leo, but an alarm bell for Amanda, whose family were brutalised by the Communist Party before they fled China. There are hints of Ali Wong in some of the fast-paced, profane humour delivered by Wu.
Designer Jeremy Allen has brought Vera’s apartment to life with an impressive amount of detail, from books and curios to the odd cobweb. The lighting – seemingly streaming from a back window and garden – cleverly signals the passing of days and nights, and of Leo’s time with his grandmother.
…delightful in its comedy, and emotionally moving
The poignancy of this story comes from Leo’s growing understanding of what it means to become old and frail, and from Vera’s realisation that she has become attached to her exasperating grandson, even though she knows he will leave and she will be on her own again. A moody, jazz-infused musical score from composer Jessica Dunn does much to emphasise and convey these concerns.
4000 Miles is not a show that is breaking any rules or pushing any boundaries. It is delightful in its comedy, and emotionally moving in its meditation on how to reach out across the divides that create misunderstanding and ill-feeling. Very timely.
Theatre Thought: Do different generations learn the same basic life lessons, or do the lessons change with the generations?
Director Kenneth Moraleda
Designer Jeremy Allen
Lighting Designer Kelsey Lee
Composer & Sound Designer Jessica Dunn
Associate Designer Emma White
Intimacy Coordinator Chloë Dallimore
With
Nancye Hayes
Shiv Palekar
Ariadne Sgouros
Shirong Wu
Understudy
Valerie Bader
Marketing image Derek Henderson
Production images Daniel Boud
Trailer Cass Eipper, Chloe Angelo
