Woman in Mind
Organised by : Chichester Festival Theatre
Alan Ayckbourns dazzling black comedy takes us on a dizzying journey through the looking glass into a womans mind.
A knock on the head from a garden rake splits Susans world
in two.
Is she living happily with her devoted husband, charming
brother and talented daughter, revelling in her rose-filled garden with its
swimming pool and tennis court, and combining her blissful family life with a
successful career?
Or is Susan trapped in a suburban existence with her
pedantic husband, resentful sister-in-law and estranged son, wrestling with
desperate frustration at her aimless life of routine domesticity?
Which of these lives is real? Which one does she want? And
is Susan in control of either of them?
The author of over 80 plays, Ayckbourn has won countless awards for his work including Olivier and Tony Lifetime Achievement Awards. Previous productions at Chichester include The Norman Conquests, Way Upstream, Absurd Person Singular, Surprises and A Small Family Business.
Jenna Russell plays Susan; her extensive
theatre work includes Sunday in the Park with George in London and
on Broadway, for which she won an Olivier Award and was nominated for a Tony;
Ayckbourns Seasons Greetings at the
National Theatre, the title role in Piaf
(Nottingham Playhouse); and Anna Mackmins production of Di and Viv and Rose (Vaudeville Theatre). Television includes Midsomer
Murders, Gentleman Jack, EastEnders and Call The Midwife; she
appeared at Chichester in Celebrating Sondheim in 2020. The director is Anna Mackmin.