Sheridan Smith is unmissable as an effervescent middle-aged Alice having a bad trip in Wonderland

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Woman In Mind (Duke Of York’s Theatre, London)

Verdict: Courageous

FOUR STARS 

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I always say – if you get the chance to see Sheridan Smith perform live, grab it! Whether you fell in love with her as a comedic gem in Gavin & Stacey or have enjoyed her incredible work on television, trust me, she’s absolutely captivating on stage. You won’t be disappointed!

She’s back with a performance that’s both bubbly and full of life, but also surprisingly powerful and unsettling.

Her role in Alan Ayckbourn’s 1985 play (when Smith was just four) could have been written for her.

She plays Susan, a regular housewife who’s experiencing a difficult mental health crisis in a beautiful English garden, and appears with comedian Romesh Ranganathan.

I’ve always pictured Alice, years later, going back to Wonderland, but this time it’s… different. It’s not the whimsical adventure of her childhood. She’s older, more complicated, and the experience is unsettling, almost frantic. Plus, she’s really struggling with loyalty – feeling pulled between two different groups, two different ‘families,’ and it’s tearing her apart.

She dreams of a family where she’s married to a handsome devil and they have a lively daughter.

Her life is quite bleak: she’s married to a quiet, studious clergyman and isn’t on speaking terms with her son.

Ranganathan is a dowdy and bewildered GP, trying to help her navigate her mad worlds.

This part is similar to a previous, less popular musical called Opening Night, where Smith played an actor struggling with a mental breakdown two years ago.

Similarly, the themes in Woman in Mind reflect Smith’s personal experiences with mental health challenges she faced while performing in Funny Girl a decade earlier.

We understand her struggle to distinguish between reality and illusion. The story gains focus and momentum through her powerful emotions, all conveyed by a character who is present throughout the entire two-plus hour performance.

She’s often sarcastic and restless, quick with a joke that doesn’t quite fit the moment, but occasionally you can see genuine fear in her eyes.

Costumes and wooden tennis rackets are of its Eighties period, as much as the sitcom dialogue. 

The play’s exploration of mental breakdown remains powerful and relevant today. This production, directed by Michael Longhurst, effectively conveys this through striking visuals – swirling, psychedelic projections set against the backdrop of a neatly trimmed lawn – and unsettling sound effects, like ringing in the ears, used between scenes.

This might not be the first impression people have of Smith, but it really shows how versatile and brave she is as an actress.

You can see the show in London’s West End until February 28th. After that, it will play at the Sunderland Empire for a week in March, followed by a run at the Glasgow Theatre Royal.

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2026-01-07 14:33