Mental health is a topic very close to my heart, so I was intrigued to watch Boxed In. This debut play written, directed and performed by Rebecca Weston Wright follows a young woman, A, who is trapped inside a featureless prison-like room and forced to confront her demons. These demons are given voice in the form of a small wooden box, which acts as the inner monologue of self-loathing that often accompanies and depression.
There are moments of genuine and moving insight in Boxed In. Wright offers a thoughtful and vulnerable commentary on the relentless internal battles faced by those struggling with mental health whilst sprinkling in enough observational humour to stop the experience becoming utterly miserable. A’s impression of a boss demanding she perfectly perform an endless series of contradictory tasks was particularly amusing. Wright herself is charming and authentic as A, moving exceptionally well between moments of turmoil and one-liners. Her talent was perhaps best showcased in the powerful and haunting moment when A finally succumbs to the box, stops fighting, and begins to repeat its hateful phrases. This served as the climax of the play’s metaphor, allowing the audience to truly experience the way someone suffering can convince themselves that life is not worth living. There were also frequent cuts to what I assume was meant to be reality, though it’s left ambiguous. Through these cuts Wright again reminded us that anxiety and depression are very real, not just abstract things that occur in strange worlds where boxes taunt you.
However, Boxed In suffers from some of the ‘growing pains’ of a debut play. Production wise, Cameron Pike’s Sound/Lighting Design wasn’t especially imaginative, relying on blackouts to switch between the two realities in which A lives, and consequently disrupting the play’s momentum. Additionally, Wright’s decision to voice the box herself using pre-recordings yielded mixed results. While it worked with the plays’ themes, these ‘voice-over’ conversations rarely replicate the natural ebb and flow of conversation, meaning the interactions can feel a tad stilted.
The bigger issue, however, is that Boxed In does not warrant its 100-minute run time. Between the laughs and those moments of raw emotion, A monologues about philosophy, religion, and all manner of existential questions. I have a degree in philosophy and theology, so ordinarily that would be right up my street, but it was just too much. The box even picks A up on it a few times, which was amusing, but doesn’t take away from the fact that the density of these sections not only detract from the emotional core of the play, but even run the risk of losing the audience’s attention. If Wright feels these topics are essential, perhaps she could alter the way their presented. Rather than A giving a speech, then the box making a counter speech, turn it into a real conversation. Whether on a page or in a play, long chunks of exposition are always hard to follow. By trimming these sections and perhaps cutting some of the anecdotes, Boxed In could have gone from an insightful and moving but occasionally unfocused play, to something truly special.
Perhaps the best way to tighten the show would be to introduce an external/objective perspective, such as a director. Boxed In is evidently personal to Wright, which allows for those wonderful moments of vulnerability and insight, but when a project is that personal it can be tricky to edit by yourself. A director may be able to not only help Wright focus her vision so that Boxed In is consistently engaging, but could also offer practical improvements, such as ways to smooth the transitions between A’s two realities.
Overall, Boxed In was a frustrating watch. There is so much good here, and I have no doubt Wright’s career will be full of success, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that with a few edits, and perhaps another perspective, it could have reached a whole new level of brilliance.
Boxed In is running at the Old Red Lion Theatre until Saturday the 26th of April.
Reviewer: Ben Pearson
Reviewed: 17th April 2025
North West End UK Rating: