Worried that a Friday evening spent watching a community theatre production about mental illness might be a bit heavy going? There were definitely enough potential triggers in Invisible Pain Theatre Company’s “Darkness Into Light” at Interplay Theatre in Armley to warrant the list of helpline numbers provided for the audience prior to the performance. Any such worries were soon laid to rest, though.
The show opens with the theme from The Munsters and a stand-up comedy routine from a Barnsley goth about fear and self-doubt. The comedian is regularly interrupted by a sock puppet controlled by a second performer. Most importantly, the comedian is funny. There are jokes.
The show is a mix of spoken word, theatre, music, song, and dance. It might not run the gamut of mental and invisible illnesses but it crams a lot into the evening. The focus is mostly on mental health, although fibromyalgia and diabetes do make appearances.
There is a race between a number of ailments shortly before the interval. It is reminiscent of Monty Python’s “Upper-Class Twit of The Year” sketch. “Dementia isn’t even sure why they’re here” and “Depression looks to have given up before the race has even started.”
The singing throughout was of a particularly high standard. One can imagine the company successfully putting on a musical, judging from what was heard this evening. There was some clever use of backing music but the singing onstage worked better. The duet between a young boxer and a young dancer, and the ensemble sung tune that closed the show, were particularly strong.
Invisible Pain’s aim is to use theatre to support the people of West Leeds, “of all ages and all abilities, through the medium of performing arts and theatre,” whilst at the same time “promoting all aspects of mental health and wellbeing using rehearsals, performance sessions, and bi-annual shows.”
One hopes that the performers got as much out of the evening as this reviewer. Whether it was the PTSD riff off “Waiting For Godot” or the tap dancing routine about panic attacks, there was plenty of food for thought throughout.
Invisible Pain’s “Wizard of Oz” with its non-adult cast is on at Interplay, Saturday 25th May, and both projects deserve your support.
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