Karen Archer & Eliza Collings in The Other Place. Photo Marc Douet

A psychological thriller based around a person with cognitive disorder is a challenging topic to tackle on stage.

We meet Juliana, a woman in her 60s, sharp and intimidating, giving a lecture to a room full of intellectuals, dressed in a power suit and heels. The next minute she is in a doctor’s office speaking about having an “episode”.

Using quick-cut scenes switching back and forth between different times and places, the play’s clever structure tries to show Juliana’s reality, piece by piece, while slowly uncovering her cognitive state.

Is her husband (Neil McCaul) really cheating on her? Is her missing daughter really back in touch? And why does the “girl in the yellow bikini” in the lecture theatre stir up such strong feelings in Juliana, from anger to regret?

She is the epitome of an unreliable narrator, who gives monologues that leave the audience not knowing what is real and what is not – but it seems neither does Juliana.

This is a powerful story of what dementia can do to a person and how they cope, all presented primarily through Juliana’s eyes – it has both sensitivity and humour, as she tries to maintain a grasp on the truth.

The play flags a bit in the middle as it reverts back to a past family drama that jars a little with the tone as a whole. But overall, it is powerfully acted by Karen Archer as Juliana, who shows immense range, from a strong, commanding woman to someone completely vulnerable, expertly owning an almost empty stage.

Eliza Collings also gives a solid performance as she takes on three different characters, including the doctor and the kindly stranger who sees Juliana at her most desperate.

Until October 20
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