An insomniac's dream

What keeps you awake at night? It's a good question but the answer is unlikely to be Out Of Inc's Night-Light, a show about the mysteries of insomnia that (feel the irony) could well have you nodding off.

Night-Light seeks to summon up a host of nocturnal demons with a mix of fairy tales and buried memories played out by the sleep-deprived, neurotic Sinéad Rushe and her nemesis, the worry-free, rope-swinging Camille Litalien, who serves as her conscience.

It's an intriguing set-up, Rushe pitting her fraying wits and insecurities against the mocking Litalien as she seeks to root out the heart of her restlessness.

Both women perform with admirable commitment but a frustrating lack of subtlety. And, though it aims for an air of mystery, Night-Light rapidly shreds any potential sympathy by choking the action in dialogue that pulls off the unlikely trick of being both pretentious and simplistic at the same time.

As a result, this sleepless night, written by Stephen Sharkey, never feels remotely convincing. Rushe (who also directs) and Litalien huff and puff for all they're worth, yet living, breathing creatures never emerge from the random images they serve up.

Calling to mind the kind of shadowy, frustrating dream that you can't quite recall, Night-Light had me fumbling for the dimmer switch long before it had been put to bed.

out of Inc: Night-Light