Review: Woman in Mind, Sunderland Empire
Sheridan Smith dazzles in a disorientating revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s Woman in Mind on Wearside. Jeff Brown reports back from a packed out Sunderland Empire
Let’s kick off with an indisputable fact: Sheridan Smith is simply phenomenal in her portrayal of the mad, mixed up world of Susan, whose life is rearranged by a blow to the head from a garden rake.
On stage for the entire two hours of a show at times as confusing and jumbled as the lead character’s unravelling mind, Smith simply demands the audience’s attention with her boundless energy, terrific delivery and nervously energetic eye for detail.
It’s a role which, in the past, has been tackled by some of the great female leads – Julia McKenzie in the West End, Stockard Channing on Broadway, and Helen Mirren in LA. Smith certainly belongs in that kind of company.
Corpsing after inadvertently losing a shoe – which brought a similar, silent, shoulder-shake from co-star Romesh Ranganathan (Bill) – only endeared her still further to a packed house eager to join in the fun.
But the revival of this 1985 piece from Alan Ayckbourn’s incredible back catalogue (92 plays and counting) isn’t crammed with the laughs most of us would associate with Scarborough’s most famous son. Because this is a study in disorientation, hinted at in the familiar strains of Patsy Kline’s 1961 hit Crazy, which opens both acts.
From the gobbledegook she hears in Bill’s opening address (and top marks for that to Ranganathan, making an impressive stage debut) it gradually becomes clear we’re witnessing a mental breakdown. Susan’s head injury blurs the boundaries between her real family and the imagined one whose members emerge from the darkness by ducking under the Safety Curtain. Confused? You will be, if you’ve no prior knowledge of the work.
The theme of a woman on the edge is maybe more accessible today than it might have been back in the 1980s, and Susan’s plight will no doubt have struck a chord with some: a husband, Gerald, who is more interested in his work (Tim McMullan), a doctor who doesn’t listen (Ranganathan), a son, Rick, who hasn’t spoken to her for years (Taylor Uttley) and a hapless sister-in-law in Muriel (Louise Brealey).
The family she wishes she had are super-smooth husband Andy (Sule Rimi), daughter Lucy (Safia Oakley-Green) and brother Tony (Chris Jenkins), all part of an excellent ensemble cast. Psychedelic visual effects from lighting designer Lee Curran hint at her inner struggle, as does a very impressive surround-sound system, courtesy of sound designer Paul Arditti.
Directed by Michael Longhurst, Woman in Mind headed north from London’s West End and its only other port of call is Glasgow. It’s a bold move by the Empire, bringing it to a city which is big on music and musicals, but – aside from the long-established amateur set-up at the nearby Royalty Theatre – is these days relatively starved of drama.
Woman In Mind plays Sunderland Empire until March 7. Visit the website for tickets.