Oscar award winning film director Steven Soderbergh’s much anticipated stage production ‘Tot Mom’ is currently playing the Wharf 1 theatre at the Sydney Theatre Company.

‘Tot Mom’ is based on a criminal court case that is currently going through the American courts. In June 2008 in Florida, two year old Caylee Anthony disappeared and after a high profile police investigation her deceased body was found and shortly thereafter her mother Casey was charged with her murder. Casey Anthony is currently in remand in prison and there is a pre-trial hearing to be held early this month.

The media has followed the Anthony case obsessively, and in his play Soderbergh focuses on the coverage given to the case by celebrated local media commentator Nancy Grace in her popular nightly CNN television show. Soderbergh’s production is basically an extended compilation version of the Nancy Grace show from when the story first broke.

The audience is greeted with Essie Davis as Nancy Grace holding court on a series of large monitors at different angles raised high above the stage. The supporting cast are at stage level and play a vast array of characters who Grace hooks up with as she endeavours to get to the bottom of the case. Soderbergh respectively spotlights them as they come to the front of the stage when Grace seeks their ‘expert’ input.

What we have, in effect, with ‘Tot Mom’ is a striking depiction of a full-on media circus with Grace as the petulant ringleader. Essie Davis gave a great broad southern drawl performance as Grace, a performance that she delivers from an off-stage studio. Her portrayal was filled with resonance, bringing back memories of media hosts running with big news stories, living off adrenaline and ego, cutting in and away from commentators as they please.

I wish I could say that I loved ‘Tot Mom’ but it just isn’t the case. I am a huge fan of Soderbergh’s movies. Yes ‘Tot Mom’ is a clever, and in its own way powerful piece of theatre, however I found this production clinical, a bit frosty, clinical and unsatisfying! The play with Soderbergh using a cut and paste approach, taking his material from court and television transcripts, was workmanlike rather than inspired. There was potential for much more, especially from a talented supporting cast who were given caricatures to work with rather than flesh and blood roles.

Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Tot Mom’ plays the Wharf 1 theatre, Sydney Theatre Company until Sunday 7th February, 2010.