4000 Miles (Sydney Theatre Co) ★★★½

Written by Amy Herzog. Sydney Theatre Co. 8 Feb – 23 Mar, 2025.

The gentle intergenerational drama 4000 Miles sees a grandmother and her grandson dealing with death in their own ways. But forget about them—the reason you’ll want to see this is Shirong Wu’s show-stealing performance as Amanda, a self-confessed “slutty” New York art student, which breathes life into the sedate (and strangely knotty) plot.

It’s 3 am, and Leo (Shiv Palekar) has turned up at the New York apartment of his grandmother Vera (Nancye Hayes), with his cross-country bike and bags. He’s ridden coast-to-coast with his best mate and needs a place to sleep, but Vera is more concerned about the phone calls she’s received from Leo’s mother, worried about him. Over the next few days, Leo and Vera settle into a new, uneasy dynamic, dancing around family issues and the question of what Leo is doing with his life.

The first thing to note is that 4000 Miles is funny. It draws solid laughs from classic intergenerational moments (Vera’s bad memory, or Leo bringing girls back to the apartment). They’re both counter-culture spirits in different ways: Vera was a card-carrying communist, while Leo rejects modernity and wants to spend time with nature. But they’re both struggling with connection after suffering loss. The widowed Vera’s only regular interaction with people is her daily conversation with her frenemy across the hall—they call each other every day to make sure they’re still breathing. Leo is dealing with a whole host of problems like the fact that his girlfriend Bec (Ariadne Sgouros) has broken up with him, as well as family issues stemming from multiple sources.

Nancye Hayes is splendid as the no-nonsense Vera, struggling with her own creeping frailty. Hayes knows how to land a punchline and draw a giggle with a simple raise of the eyebrow but is equally skilled at bringing it all back to the heart. Her Vera is played large, but the small emotions are clear. Against her, Shiv Palekar looks like a lanky giant, making them a wonderfully odd couple. The always engaging Ariadne Sgouros gets to play things straight for a change, showing that she’s not just great at insane comedy but also at tapping into the genuine humanity of her roles.

However, it’s Shirong Wu who blows into the play like a force of nature that truly made my night. Her performance as Leo’s amorous fling Amanda was completely pitch-perfect. A one-scene wonder that injected new life into the play. I was left wanting more.

I appreciate the unforced tone of Herzog’s writing, which draws the audience in rather than throwing out obvious clues and exposition. It gives space for the stage creatives to bring their own nuance and skill to the story. But for me, this production felt more presentational than real, lacking some of the Pulitzer-prize-nominated depth the play is known for. 

As the play progressed, though, small things began to bother me and pull me out of the story. Jeremy Allen’s intricate, layered set design looked more like a single-floor English village cottage than a rent-controlled, upper-floor Greenwich Village apartment with downtown views to me. The moody scene changes, accompanied by luscious compositions by Jessica Dunn, seemed to be telegraphing emotions I wasn’t experiencing. Scenes felt tonally dissonant (a major third act revelation in particular), and there was a lack of chemistry between some players on stage. The American accents (it’s always the accents) seemed to be getting in some performers’ way—creating emotionally flat readings. I seemed to be out of step with the show’s rhythms. 

So I’m frustrated by this one, but it’s the frustration that comes from seeing something that’s almost-very-close-to-being-just-right, and that’s a very personal judgement, your opinion may vary. It was like there was a pebble in my shoe, stopping me from keeping pace with the play’s stride. I wonder if a second viewing would be totally different for me? 4000 Miles is definitely worth watching, so buy a ticket and see for yourself – then come back and tell me I’m wrong/right.