The Sound Inside

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https://www.holdenstreettheatres.com/the-sound-inside

Date Reviewed: 13/08/2026

Written by Adam Rapp, The Sound Inside premiered in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 2018 before transferring, with the same cast and creative team, to Broadway's Studio 54 in 2019. The play received multiple Tony Award nominations and has since garnered several prestigious awards. This production marks its South Australian premiere.

Rapp has built an impressive body of work spanning plays, novels, screenwriting and film direction. Many of his plays feature small casts and intimate settings, allowing him to explore complex human relationships with remarkable depth.

Currently playing at The Studio, Holden Street Theatres, under the direction of Nick Fagan, this is a compelling piece of theatre and well worth the effort of venturing out to see.

I love a happy ending. I particularly love a musical. I can also appreciate the value of a dark, dystopian work in the interests of balance and variety. This play, however, invited me to engage with its ideas far more deeply than I usually would and continued to occupy my thoughts for days afterwards.

Celebrated author and university professor Bella Baird, portrayed superbly by Michelle Nightingale, is facing an uncertain future when she encounters Christopher (an equally outstanding Benji Riggs), a brilliant and enigmatic student with an extraordinary mind. Drawn together by literature, intellect and an unexpected connection, their relationship gradually evolves into something far more complex and unsettling than either could have imagined.

Nightingale and Riggs share an engaging stage chemistry, navigating the play's shifting emotional landscape with skill and nuance. Both performances are measured and believable, drawing the audience into their rapidly evolving and complex relationship.

The numerous literary references woven throughout the play add to its authenticity, however, an extensive knowledge of classic literature is by no means necessary to appreciate the dialogue.

The set is simple and uncluttered. With no significant set changes, we move seamlessly between the park, Bella's university office and her home, these transitions skilfully enabled by Martin Smith and Charlie Dippy's lighting design.  Simple yet highly effective, the lighting helped define both mood and space throughout the production.  The literal "writing on the wall" at one point was especially memorable.

On a slightly pedantic note, I found myself wondering whether the painting hanging in Bella's office was, in fact, 20 by 20, as described in the dialogue.

In a conversation with fellow playwright Gina Gionfriddo, published in The Brooklyn Rail, Rapp observed: "When you see something powerfully acted on stage, it hits a nerve in the way music hits a nerve ... Watching someone twelve feet from you falling in love or being abused ... There's something raw about that experience that you don't get from film or TV." 

That sentiment feels particularly relevant to this production. This play prompted me to reflect on a host of questions about human nature and identity. How well do we really understand ourselves? Why do some people crave the company and acceptance of others, while some seem more comfortable in solitude? What draws us towards certain people? And do we truly shape our own destinies, or are our pathways somehow predetermined?

The Sound Inside offers no easy answers, but it asks fascinating questions. Thought-provoking, beautifully acted and deeply affecting, this South Australian premiere lingers long after the final curtain.