
Writer: Adam Rapp
Producer: Carving in Ice Theatre Company
Director: Gaye Poole
Starring: Liam Hinton and Mandy Faulkner
11-12 October 2024, The Meteor
It must be the year for it because the region is in for another New Zealand premiere. Aside from local original works, this is the third premiere of an international work since May. This time it’s Adam Rapp’s The Sound Inside which was nominated for six Tony Awards in 2020 including Best Play. Produced by Carving in Ice Theatre Company, it’s a two person piece that delivers several unpredictable twists.
Whilst facing some health issues, Yale Professor Bella Baird (Mandy Faulkner) mentors aspiring novelist Christopher Dunn (Liam Hinton). Their intellectual discussions about the great writers including Shelley, Salinger, Wharton, and Dostoevsky lead to a mutual respect and they form a bond that ultimately questions how far one is willing to go for another.
The Sound Inside is not a Mrs Robinson reimagining. It’s a deftly woven masterclass by Rapp in polished writing that includes lines such as “she’d says she’s perhaps four or five degrees beyond mediocre, also known as sneakily attractive,” and “long, heavily embroidered figurative sentences.” There’s a touch of Meisner too “listen to the sound inside, listen to the sound inside;” confronting realisations; and enough humour to ease the occasionally challenging content.

Faulkner has a dual role of Bella and as the narrator. Her soothing speaking voice is exquisitely suited to taking the audience along for the journey. Faulkner effortlessly captures the intellect, desires, heartache, and loneliness of Bella, a woman in her fifties struggling with her circumstances.
Hinton shines as the freshman who craves the approval of Bella without initially respecting her boundaries. Christopher’s firm ideas and brusque manner provides a powerful contrast to Bella’s own position, and Hinton soars in the delivery of the complicated student.
Director Gaye Poole has chosen to present this work as a staged reading. However, the actors holding of and referring to booklet-sized scripts throughout is inconsequential due to Bella and Christopher’s initial meeting in a creative writing class. Poole has created a trio of spaces on a static set that speak well to the scenes on campus, at home, and in public. Poole’s play selection is courageous, and her casting is magnificent.
If you missed the opening nights of other recent Aotearoa premieres, make haste to The Meteor on Friday night for The Sound Inside. This work is suited to those who are admirers of classic literature and exceptional, suspenseful storytelling. Tickets start at $15.
Photo taken during rehearsal by Gaye Poole.
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