Secret Thoughts

Synopsis

Married University professor Ralph Messenger has a reputation as a ground-breaking cognitive scientist and a notorious philanderer. When he meets the recently bereaved novelist Helen Reed, sparks fly and battle commences. It’s science against art and morality against indulgence. But as their passionate and argumentative relationship develops into sexual attraction, their intellectual foreplay looks like it could become a fully blown affair of the body and mind.

Our Review:

14 May 2011

Cognitive scientist Ralph Messenger (Rob Edwards) seeks an objective definition of subjective personal experiences. His colleague Helen Reed (Kate Coogan), a novelist grieving the loss of her husband, sees them as the basis for all art. Their intellectual debate gives rise to both physical attraction and conflict, as Ralph is married and Helen a catholic.
 
David Lodge’s adaptation conveys the essence of his novel, Thinks, through the communication between just two characters. It works well although there is a slightly disjointed feel with the cerebral parts in the first half of the play and the second half more plot-driven.  
 
David Thacker's expert direction ensures that, although dialogue-heavy, the play succeeds as a stage vehicle. The use of monologues is avoided and excellent use is made of the facial reactions and physical interplay of the actors. He is helped by the imaginative set design of...

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