Written by Adam Rapp
Directed by Matt Wilkinson
Review by Dominic Corr
Nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Play, the buzz surrounding Adam Rapp’s The Sound Inside was deserving before its UK premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of the Traverse Theatre’s cracking TravFest season. Its intense, unflourished flint of brilliance in clear-cut premise and delivery makes it remarkably different from the high-octane energy and comedy of much of the season. It makes for a two-hander that, while triumphantly erudite in ways, doesn’t necessarily stand out for audiences to come rushing. But it should.
An Ivy League thriller which never strays into the avenues the audience expects, Bella Baird is complacent in their role as a professor of creative writing, a published author, who becomes overly committed and fascinated with a talented (if eccentric) student – Christopher – a freshman with aspirations of publication. While initially seeming self-indulgent, their book is strikingly familiar to Christopher’s own life, his friendship with another teenager, and the violent consequences. Bella cannot help but find herself drawn to this young man in a production that never shies away from the play’s more complex, even unpleasant, themes and moments.
While the play’s meticulous, resolute structure may not appeal to all audiences, it is a testament to its depth of technique and brilliance in controlling the self-conscious and the power of stillness. Rapp’s script fearlessly leaves the focus of a point hanging before swiftly shifting the narrative. Instead of melodrama or schlocky tropes, the play offers deliberate underplays and subversions, a masterful manipulation of audience expectations.
Much is down to Matt Wilkinson’s direction, which has an understanding and trust in Madeleine Potter’s central performance and narration. The characters’ motivations, anywhere else, would garner an understandable ire – but here, there’s an understanding. Or, more cruelly, there’s a lack of investment or care from the audience. It’s a bold choice in the writing and direction – one which, when working, is smart and intricate but causes a deliberate barrier between Potter, Sirakian and the audience. Potter has more to work with the pair, excelling in their performance and being rounded and engaging. Eric Sirakian’s role as Christopher is less ‘juicy’, deliberately more reserved and out-of-place, but carried well, particularly in the final distressing moments.
The Sound Inside is at its most intense and engaging when it’s silent – the lingering threads, the unspoken suggestions, and the subtle differences are more powerful than any dialogue. This cleverly mirrors Christopher’s own work within the narrative. The design, by James Turner, is minimalistic, with a chair for each performer. Lighting and sound, by Eliot Griggs and Gareth Fry, inject momentum and change-ups, But the play’s focus remains on its writing. This is not a show to ‘enjoy’, but one to savour, sharp and intoxicating.
Unflourished Flint of Brilliance
The Sound Inside runs at The Traverse Theatre – Traverse One until August 26th
Running time: One hour and twenty-five minutes without interval
Photo credit – Michael Bodlovic, Simon Cane, and Ian Smith
Review by Dominic Corr (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Editor for Corr Blimey, and a freelance critic for Scottish publications, Dominic has been writing freelance for several established and respected publications such as BBC Radio Scotland, The List, The Skinny, Edinburgh Festival Magazine, The Reviews Hub, In Their Own League, and The Wee Review. As of 2023, he is a member of the Critic’s Award for Theatre Scotland (CATS) and a member of the UK Film Critics.
