Campbell Wright
The Sound Inside is an enigma. I came into The Sound Inside knowing absolutely nothing about the show, and I would recommend that you do the same. However, in order to give some context for the review, the play follows a writing professor, Bella Baird (Dulcie Smart), and her student Christopher Dunn (Kieran Charnock). Their relationship develops as Bella struggles with cancer while Christopher writes his first novella. Entering the theatre, I am immediately struck by Meg Rollandi’s set. A slight haze roiled between the shadows cast by a simple desk, table, and chairs, spilling onto the bed opposite. This initial stage image set the scene for the most impressive theatre design work I’ve seen in recent years.
Everything in this show's design is immaculate. Light, set, sound, all interacted seamlessly, with simultaneous light and sound transitions that moved us through the set as scenes changed. Meg Rollandi’s set presents a checkerboard of locations that split the stage into three tiers, from the ground of the theatre itself beside a grassy field, to Bella Baird’s office, kitchen, and bedroom, to the entry doorway, a bar, and Bella’s lounge. These pieces were perfectly placed to represent the environments present in the show, and a peek into Bella’s personal life. Natasha James’ lighting design complements this, lighting up specific checkerboards when they were in use. Her persistent use of side lighting leaves shadows strewn across the set, providing what might otherwise feel like innocuous locations with an air of foreboding.
All of this is punctuated by Thomas Arbor’s music and sound design. Though the phrase “punctuated” may be downplaying just how integral the sound design is to the feeling of the show. Scene changes were precipitated with sweeping static and underlying most of the play was this ominous pulsating sound that paints the feeling of unease beneath the dialogue. I do not think that this play could have the same effect without the strength of audio design behind it and Thomas Arbor has absolutely excelled in this regard. It may be worth watching this play purely for the set, lighting, and sound design themselves.
However, I do have doubts about other aspects of the play. In the program for The Sound Inside, the director’s note from Stella Reid comments that “the story had a tail that followed me for days.” I agree that the story still sits with me now, but in this case, I don’t think that it is a good thing. I find that the most effective stories stick with me because they made me think about something in a new or different light. Through their story they take an idea or concept and explore it, asking you to reflect on it from new angles and question your preconceptions on the topic at hand. However, I am left thinking about The Sound Inside for a different reason. It feels as though the play was written to try and create that feeling of discussion and rich questioning, but without an ideological core behind it. Rather than leaving me with something to take from the play and reflect on, instead my questions and exploration come back to the play itself and leave me wondering why. Why did the author write this story? What were they trying to achieve with this? The director's note discusses the power of stories to influence people, but I can’t help but feel that this story has done nothing of the kind for me. This is not to say that every single piece of art ever made has to lead to life changing revelations and discoveries for its audience, but there is something about this script that feels hollow, like it was written with all the hallmarks of a great work but without any spark behind it. It’s entirely possible that you may have a completely different experience of this script, and I would recommend that you go and find out for yourself (again, even if it is just for the design alone).
Despite my dislike for the overall story of the play, I have to agree that much of the writing itself is excellent. Adam Rapp’s descriptive language feels like it was written with all of the poetry of Dylan Thomas. The combination of evocative language through asides from Bella and the audio design means that the play felt as though it could be performed almost entirely as an audio play.
However, I frequently found the way the characters themselves are written to be insufferable. The exact kind of suffering artist stereotype where art is more important than anything else, so hung up on writing their “masterpiece” that they fail to write at all. They feel like they are playing some kind of status game, eager to prove to each other that they know more about Dostoevsky and gushing over the supposed “genius” of ending a story on a set of ellipses…
Nonetheless, Dulcie Smart and Kieran Charnock excelled in their performance of these characters. Their work brought the pair to life and makes them incredibly believable in their passion and the strange intimacy of their relationship. It takes truly gifted performers to carry a 90-minute, two-hander performance with such energy, grace, and nuance; they were able to provide this in every moment that the script allowed. A particularly excellent example of this was the interplay between performers when they interrupt asides from the other — these moments felt playful, while still in character. It is the chemistry and relationship between these two performers that formed the core of the performance and there was subtext dripping from every look and phrasing.
So would I recommend this play? Yes, I would. Every single aspect of the design and performance of this script is excellent, and I have to commend Stella Reid’s direction in ensuring that all of these parts blend together into an incredibly cohesive whole. Although I have my misgivings about the script itself, I hope that others may take away more than I did. Even if you are unsure that this play is for you, go and see it. The design alone is worth it.
The Sound Inside runs from the 5th of July to the 2nd of August at Circa Theatre. You can find tickets here.