Harold Pinter’s play explores the first awakening of a woman (Deborah) suffering from a disease that caused her to be ‘asleep’ for 29 years. We are witness to her mind’s struggle to accept the changes wrought in both herself and the world around her and her doctor’s attempt to uncover any memory she may have of ‘where’ her mind went. The play delves into levels of reality and perception of reality. There are hints that her mind did go somewhere else that she remembers and also that she was at times aware of people being around her, though she could not respond to them. Consequentially, we have to wonder which, if either, of those states was reality and which a construct of her mind to deal with her physical condition. And, eventually, we have to question whether it really matters within her own perception.
These are profound questions to ponder, provocative and difficult to conceptualise. Which is also an apt description of the play. Deborah’s frenzied bursts of animation and black humour paint a luminous picture of her predicament and the enormity of the information she has to process. Within these frantic monologues lie buried clues of where she had been existing and the mind reels away from the terrible possibilities that are hinted at. Her interaction with her sister is especially poignant, the almost physical chasm between them so much more visible then the doctor’s few words of explanation. But it is also a difficult play, confusing at times, rather heavy going, and you leave feeling slightly bewildered and out of sync with the world (which is both a plus and a minus point, depending on your point of view). Really, it comes down to whether or not deep philosophical considerations are the type of entertainment you seek.
4/5
Brid-Aine Conway
