WOMAN IN MIND

Wed 31 March - Sat 3 April 1993 at 7.45pm
Performed at Northampton College Arts Centre, St Gregory's Road, Northampton

Photo gallery

Woman in Mind is the latest production by Northampton’s Masque Theatre.

Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy, Which tells the story of a woman’s mental collapse, takes a poignant, but amusing, look at Susan and her lack of fulfilment as a wife and mother.

Played by Denise Swann, who adopts an “I’m not impressed expression” to perfection, Susan lives out her life starved of love and affection.

Imaginary

Following an accident in which she is knocked unconscious, Susan escapes into an imaginary garden where she finds the ideal family complete with daughter to respect her, son to watch out for her, and husband to cherish her.

There are some fine performances from Vince Perry, Martin Borley and Kate Banyard who work well together to create a brilliant vision of the happy family.

Richard Allen gives a well-studied portrait of Gerald, Susan’s dull husband and Anthony Scarratt is convincing as the priggish son. Roger Sharman plays the doctor who returns resplendent in an outrageous checked suit for Susan’s nightmarish glimpse of the races.

Demanding

The cast do well to create the colour of this scene on a virtually bare stage, making use of few props.

Directed by Paul Geeson, Masque Theatre deal well with this demanding play - one of Ayckbourn’s blackest
comedies.

The production would benefit by developing the set and more props - anything to make it visually more inspiring. The Northampton College Arts Centre, clad in black drapes, made an opressive backdrop, not helped by erratic lighting.

Woman in Mind runs at Northampton College Arts Centre, St Gregory’s Road, Northampton, until Saturday.