Woman in Mind at the Duke of York Theatre

The West End play for the theatre group in February was Woman in Mind by Alan Ayckbourn starring Sheridan Smith and Romesh Ranganathan. This proved very popular and we could not all get tickets for one day so two groups were booked a week apart (11th and 18th February). This suited everyone as one was dress circle and the other stalls!

This was Ayckbourn’s 32nd play and was premiered in Scarborough in 1985 and then had a West End run in 1986. In this play everything is seen from the point of view of Susan, played by Sheridan Smith who never left the stage. Susan is a neglected wife with an estranged son and patronised by her sister-in-law. Following a blow to her head an imaginary world develops, and she has another adoring family and successful career. Sheridan was remarkable in her performance which was both moving and very energetic. Romesh played the doctor who had quite a fondness for Susan and surprised us by his well-crafted performance in his West End debut.

The play was in some ways quite puzzling as it swapped between the” two lives” and at the end was almost pantomime like. Maybe suitable as it was on over Christmas and is due to end its run by the end of February. However, the majority of the group really enjoyed the play and were pleased to have attended.

Contributed by Mary Garside