The Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Alan Ayckbourn’s ‘Woman In Mind’ at the Sydney Opera House was one of the strongest dramas of the year.

Noni Hazelhurst plays Susan, a forty something woman who is in an unhappy marriage, and is starved of affection from her vicar husband, Bill and her distant son, Gerald. She knocks herself out one morning and wakes to not only find her existing family, but the family of her dreams: a devoted husband, brimming with charm, and two perfect, lovely children. As the play continues Susan finds it increasingly difficult to decipher between her real and imaginary families.

Gale Edwards’s direction was clear and incisive. It was a tour de force performance by Noni Hazelhurst in the lead. There is one scene near the end of the play when her life is falling to pieces, and she kneels down centre stage as the rain pours down on her. It is such a scene of desolation.. ’Woman In Mind’ is, above all, a play about a woman who allows herself to be overwhelmed by her own unhappiness and sense of lack of fulfillment.

Andrew McFarlane played her dull, non passionate husband, Bill. David Downer was the stereotypically conservative family Doctor, Gerald. Deborah Kennedy played the cantankerous family maid who Susan was in regular conflict with. Richard Pryos played her distant teenage son, Rick, with whom Susan is constantly having conflicts with.

Some fine performances come from the actors playing Susan’s other family. John Adam played the spunky, delightful husband, Andy. Mark Owen- Taylor and Sophie Ross were her two delightful grown-up children, forever going off to play tennis or sipping champagne.

One of the play’s achievements is that it whilst it is of such a dark nature, Ayckbourn manages to also instill plenty of humour in it, often from many of the characters own self effacing natures.

Production values were strong. These included Peter England’s wonderful, expansive revolving set, Gavin Swift’s evocative lighting design, and Paul Charlier’s music score,

Summing up, ‘Woman In Mind’ was a high quality and provocative production.