A scene from Inside Out

This new Australian play from Mary Rachel Brown is a very well conceived piece which deals delicately but honestly with issues of mental illness. Focusing on the relationship between a mother (Tracey Mann) and her son (Lindsay Farris) the play charts the sons spiral into mental illness and the effects on their lives.

The script does not shy away from confronting the difficult realities of mental conditions, showing the emotional swings and inconsistent behaviour of sufferers. The script’s real strength is its moments of lightness and humour with Brown refusing to allow the play to wallow in sadness or dark clichés of metal illness. The terrible effects of such disorders are explored but the characters have moments of resilience, confusion and charm which shine through.

Lindsay Farris’ performance was somewhat methodical to begin, however by midway through the show he had found his stride. The second half of the show, which made great demands of the young Sydney actor, was performed with an attention to detail and an emotional honesty that did justice to the script. Particularly impressive was Lindsay’s ability to handle the swift changes of mood and objective which the role demanded. Tracey Mann’s performance was solid but the role of the mother gave her less scope to shine.

An engaging, but not breathtaking piece of theatre, Inside Out will make you ponder our society’s response to people afflicted by mental illness.

‘Inside Out’ is playing at the Seymour Centre until May 30th.