In Two Minds
★★★☆☆ Insightful
Traverse (Venue 15): Thu 1 – Sun 25 Aug 2024
Review by Hugh Simpson
Two excellent performances distinguish In Two Minds from Dublin’s Fishamble at the Traverse for the duration of the Fringe.
Joanne Ryan’s play deals with a mother (Pom Boyd) and daughter (Karen McCartney) forced to share a house while the mother is having an extension built to her own home.
The already prickly relationship is made worse as it becomes clear that the mother’s desire to find every possible fault with her daughter, and subsequent mood swings, are symptomatic of mental health issues.
Karen McCartney and Pom Boyd in Fishamble’s In Two Minds.
There is a realism to Ryan’s script that is painful at times; certainly you don’t need to have experience of the specific situation in the play to recognise how tremendously well-observed it is. Anyone who has ever been a child or a parent will be nodding sagely or laughing with (uncomfortable) recognition.
Indeed, it might be better not to have too much specific knowledge. While it is never stated outright, it is clear that the mother is living with bipolar disorder. Once again, much of the depiction of the condition is done sensitively, with recognition and from obvious personal experience. However, the ending in particular seems just too convenient.
The final scene has an emotional element that – while fine in itself – is unearned, and veers dangerously close to wish-fulfilment rather than drama. Which doesn’t undermine any of what has come before, but is unfortunate.
It must also be stressed that the performances of both Boyd and McCartney are beyond reproach. McCartney’s depiction of a child torn between love and frustration is pitched just right. The portrayal of someone who at first just seems a little larger than life, before we realise what is going on, is done tremendously by Boyd.
beautifully paced
Sarah Jane Scaife’s direction, meanwhile, is unfussy, beautifully paced and brings out the best in the actors. The set design of Alyson Cummins combines the functional and the otherworldly, much as Kevin Smith’s lighting does.
Rob Moloney’s music adds a doomy atmosphere, that suffers from being overused during the frequent (and rather too long) transitions between scenes.
What seems certain at first to be a piece of rare power is let down by a seeming desire for resolution, but the care and skill in writing, direction and performance still impress.
Running time: One hour and 20 minutes (no interval)
Traverse Theatre (Traverse 2), 10 Cambridge St, EH1 2ED (Venue 15)
Thursday 1 – Sunday 25 August 2024
Various times (see website for details)
Details and tickets: Book here.
Traverse website: Further details.
Artist website: www.fishamble.com
Instagram: @fishamble
Facebook: @Fishamble
Twitter: @Fishamble
ENDS
