Review: CHANGING THE SHEETS at Origin Theatre

For the 15th consecutive year, Origin Theatre launched its 1st Irish Theatre Festival in January, presenting 20 new Irish plays across New York City for the first time. Since 2002, Origin Theatre has dedicated itself to bringing new work of Irish playwrights to be introduced in the US in its many NYC theatre spaces. The only company of its kind, it has premiered plays by Irish playwrights who have gone on to major success–Tony Award and Irish Times Theatre Award winner Enda Walsh premiered an early version of his play Misterman at Origin Theatre, which later went on to star Cillian Murphy in a revised version at St. Ann’s Warehouse in 2011. It’s fair to say that the 1st Irish Theatre Festival, which began in 2008, is an incredible opportunity for International Artists to premiere new work within a company of such achievement. Many of the new Irish plays at the 2023 festival earlier this year showed an immense amount of promise for the writers and performers alike. Changing the Sheets by Harry Butler was no exception. A crowd favorite, Changing the Sheets broke hearts and burst laughs once again after its premiere at the famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival and London’s Playground Theatre in2022. It’s a Sally Rooney-esque comedy about two young adults navigating their way through the turbulent modern dating scene, miscommunicating and avoiding feelings along the way. Butler’s take on dating culture is spot on, as his two characters, Patti and Robert, feel so nuanced and real that they were almost like friends to the young audience that filled the house. Butler’s writing is lighthearted, relatable, and heartbreaking without feeling heavy, and simply a joy to experience live. Actors Shannon Haly and Harrison Tipping brought Patti and Robert to life in a spontaneous and charming performance. The intimate venue made every move and word full of so much meaning, especially with the subtle, minimal staging from director Hagen Mounkes. A charismatic Tipping gave a tremendous performance as Robert, nailing his hard, playing-it-cool facade along with the well of emotion and fear that simmers beneath it. His little quips and joking defense mechanisms were familiar to us all in the audience, making us ache for the connection that he so clearly ached for as well. Haly played beautifully opposite Tipping, her Patti quick-witted and strong-willed, though full of pain and longing that kept the two constantly at odds. Her ability to turn on a dime was exquisite to watch, and her work and dedication to the piece earned her Origin Theatre’s Breakthrough Award at the closing ceremony of the festival. It’s rare to see such nuanced and complex performances from two actors at such a young age, which only drove the success and overwhelmingly positive audience reception to Butler’s play. Changing the Sheets is no doubt destined for more acclaim, as are the actors that gave it life. This American premiere will inevitably lead to many more for this talented playwright, and both actors are looking at a bright future ahead of them. These are names I would definitely be keeping my eye on.