Review Nellie Bly’s TEN DAYS IN A MADHOUSE adapted by Douglas Baker, at Jack Studio Theatre until 2 July 2022

‘A haunting effect for this multi-media show with a lasting impression of a powerful story expertly told’  ★★★★

In 1887, real life New York investigative journalist, Nellie Bly, faked madness in order to be admitted to an asylum.  Her expose rocked the world.   This immersive adaptation in which the seated audience is wearing headphones, is a highly original show.   The set consists of a backdrop and a desk behind a scrim (gauze curtain).  The sole performer is joined by a cast of projected images (animated) with pre-recorded voices. 

The play shows how Nellie Bly persuaded the publishers to take her seriously as a journalist and her experiences inside the institution where she witnessed the appalling treatment of the inmates. Bly herself is also subjected to the neglect and brutality, nearly enough to make her lose her own mind.  Far from being sensationalised, Bly’s story of the women who were ‘erased’ at Blackwell's Island Insane Asylum is respectfully told; their names and identities are returned to them.   

Lindsey Huebner as Nellie Bly gives a sophisticated performance. It has the authenticity of verbatim lines from Bly’s report. There is poetry in the repetition. This is particularly effective in the asylum where a description of the monotony of the days is repeated time and again. 

The technical aspect of the show is equally sophisticated. At times Huebner is acting with projected images with pre-recorded voices. Her expert timing allowed this to come across as natural whilst at the same time the projections give a haunting effect to the overall show. The crafts of lighting (Jonathan Simpson), sound (Calum Perrin) and video (Douglas Baker) worked brilliantly in sync, so that doors creaked open letting in the light and voices came from the projected images.  How is this done? 

Perhaps some of the choices seemed a little strange, such as the balloon patients and the fact that Heubner is acting behind a scrim.  The payoff is the powerful ending and the lasting impression of a story expertly told.  What happened to these women is still shocking and provoking. The truth of their incarceration is a taint on society which deserves to be broadcast loud and clear.

A highly original multi-media show, an experience like no other.

Read our interview with multi-media theatre artist Douglas Baker here

 TEN DAYS IN A MADHOUSE by Nellie Bly, adapted by Douglas Baker

Presented by So It Goes Theatre

At Jack Studio Theatre, 410 Brockley Road, London, SE4 2DH

Dates: 14 June – 2 July 2022 7.30pm. Tues- Saturday only

CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES: 15, 18, 22 June

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Reviewed by Heather Jeffery