I've read so many reviews praising the phenomenal performances and lavish production of this play only to award it four stars. How absurd. It's a beautiful, riveting play which firmly holds your attention. I've seen the music and dancing scorned, the supporting characters too thinly written, even the revolving stage pilloried. What absolute nonsense. It's a glorious, immersive experience in which the harrowing subject matter is given a spectral dimension, laced with good humour to sweeten a very bitter pill and reinforce the message. The fourth wall is soundly torn asunder as the action moves into the audience. Rylance's performance is superlative and he fills the stage with his presence as he brings the principal character to life before your eyes, but he has the active support of a very fine cast indeed, and each of them more than amply meets the challenge he lays before them. Such a beautiful, winning cast; such a multi-faceted play. It's theatre as spectacle to go relish and enjoy.

This is an important story, with all sorts of elements. Sexism, mental health, being an alien, authority, group think, yet this production belittled the story. Sometimes a story just needs to be told and this told the story really badly and somewhat inappropriately. There was no room for poor audience participation jokes. We all get actors like an audience reaction but the jokes were poor and the attempt belittled the story. The stage was cluttered visually so the poor tormented souls playing on the poor Dr's brain came across like a 6th year drama class being asked to depict in mime a bird waking. Not sure about mark Ryland's dodgy euro accent or his depiction of a tormented soul.