I’m not usually a fan of devised theatre, primarily because it tends to lack focus and unity of voice and can (in the very worst cases) sink into a mere showcase for acting talent (or the lack thereof). In My Perfect Mind we have a piece which happily avoids these pitfalls and produces something intellectually satisfying at the same time as being funny and entertaining. It is, in short, ‘life into art’ in the very best sense. That is to say, something quite new and uplifting and indeed universal comes out of a personal tragedy. To pull of such a feat needs more than serendipity of course and the cast of Edward Petherbridge and Paul Hunter are well matched by director and co-deviser, Kathryn Hunter whilst drawing freely on Shakespeare’s Lear and Petherbridge’s autobiography which both serve as the spine of the play.

In 2007 Petherbridge was due to play Lear in New Zealand, but rehearsals were cut short when he suffered a stroke, which left him partly paralysed. Whilst he never got to play Lear the script somehow stuck in his brain. The present show revolves around the divine paradox of the role of a man on the slide into madness helping the actor as it becomes part of the process of rehabilitation of self, arm in arm with his autobiography.

The (apparently fluid) dynamics of the show put one in mind of a long standing double act in which one half is desperately trying to go legit’ with the other half lovingly humouring the attempt. Edward Petherbridge’s acting has a lambent quality, evident in his Newman Noggs – amongst the standout performances in the RSC’s Nicholas Nickleby – one of best things (if not the best) ever to grace the London stage. Petherbridge has that special gift of being able to illuminate an internal landscape with a poignancy that never descends to sentimentality or bathos. It is a masterful achievement which is all the greater for its apparent ease. It’s as if Tommy Cooper were playing Edward Petherbridge playing King Lear as he brings you close to clenching your buttocks with concern only to find he has been in charge all along.

Acting as counterpoint to this performance is Paul Hunter’s ring-master, a sharp witted, stand-up delight who seems to deftly throw in whatever character the scene seems to demand, from ‘ze brain doctor’ to Peter Sellers’ Olivier in Richard III with vestigial Othello makeup and a host of others as per.

This kind of de luxe acting in a very entertaining, multifaceted and satisfying play is not to be missed. ★★★★☆ Graham Wyles     01/10/14