It’s rare that you hear someone in a Traverse show audience gasp. Rarer still that this happens on a Sunday morning in the 11am performance when (this is an assumption) no alcohol has been involved. But that’s exactly what the UK premiere of The Sound Inside serves up.
Bella is a professor at Yale who teaches English literature. She’s lived a life focused on enjoying the literature that gives her life meaning but then a bunch of things happen that force her to question her choices. Christopher is her student. Saying any more than that risks ruining a twisty narrative that took at least two U-turns before we were done. Adam Rapp‘s script is one of those plays where you think it’s about something but it’s not about that at all. Or maybe it is but it’s also about three other things at the same time.
The set is spartan but for a show about the wonder of words, that feels apposite. It’s lit with razor sharp precision (Elliot Griggs) and an equally spartan soundtrack (Gareth Fry) echos the sucker punch served up by the script. The performances are superb. Madeleine Potter is defiant in her commitment to her choices so when she falters, it’s all the more affecting – though the script gives few clues about exactly why. Eric Sirakian is delightfully little-boy-lost yet furiously assured. Or just furious.
Neither character is wholly sympathetic so if you’re someone who needs to like their protagonists, this might not be for you. And while the publicity plot summary alludes obliquely to the actual subject matter, maybe suffice to say that if death is a tricky subject for you just now, this also might not be the play for you.
These things aside, a tension simmers throughout the play between what is known, what is revealed by behaviour and the extent to which a person is more or less than the sum of their actions. It’s deeply philosophical and if you know your literature, there are layers upon layers that you’ll delight in unravelling. Some may find the script too smug for its own good but judging from the quality of the audience silence, they found it riveting.
The ambiguity is the thrill of The Sound Inside. It’s a a taut and tense 90 minutes that will leave you speculating about meaning, motive, action, and consequences. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
The Sound Inside is at Traverse Theatre – Traverse 1 until Sun 25 Aug 2024 (except Mon 5, 12 & 19) at various time
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