[1] Despite pedestrian reviews by many critics, strong audience reaction resulted in a transfer to London's West End.

[3] Woman in Mind was Ayckbourn's first play to use first-person narrative and a subjective viewpoint and is considered to be one of his most affecting works[2] and one of his best.

[2][5] Another theme is Susan's relationship to her son who has joined a cult that forbids communication with parents, in what play critic Michael Billington considered to be an attack on organised religion.

In his words, the play is "not only about an emotionally neglected middle-aged woman's descent into madness but also the failure of orthodox Christian morality to cope with individual unhappiness.

[5] His agent was sceptical as to whether an audience would accept such an unconventional play, and as the publicity went out before Ayckbourn had begun writing, an unusual brochure note was issued:[6] At the time of going to press a high wall of secrecy surrounds this project.

In Susan's imagination – and with it the audience's view – the same piece of grass becomes a small part of her imaginary vast estate (with trees, lakes and a tennis court all in easy reach), with a transition between the two worlds largely achieved through changes in sound and lighting.

After Bill leaves to fetch a cup of tea, Susan's husband (Andy), lovingly tends to her, joined by daughter Lucy and brother Tony, fresh from the tennis courts.

When Gerald reminds Susan that their son, Rick, is coming for lunch, it transpires that he joined a sect two years ago that forbids members from talking to their parents.

Susan, hurt by this, blames this (and Rick's fear of women) on the public school scholarship Gerald bullied him to take.

In the real world, Bill agrees to stay for lunch (Muriel's "omelette surprise", where she mistakes the tea tin for herbs).

Gerald makes excuses for the sect, until confessing that Rick is coming to sell the possessions in his room – something that horrifies Susan as this is all she has left of him.

Susan confides to Bill about her hallucinations, and when asked about Rick, tells him a semi-fantasy where he is getting married, and she has met her daughter-in-law to be.

Having previously hinted over his own family life – two daughters married to wheeler-dealer stockbrokers and a wife probably cheating with another doctor – Bill reveals how he feels about her, and is about to kiss her when Susan points to Lucy.

Tony and Andy arrive, and suddenly, Bill becomes part of her fantasy – now a wheeler-dealer stockbroker poaching rabbits.

I'm making love to the devil!” At an indeterminate time overnight, Gerald and Rick find Susan sprawled out in the middle of the lawn during a thunderstorm.

She refuses all pleas to come inside, denouncing Gerald for narrow-minded meanness, Rick as a priggish brat, and Muriel for wanting a phantom pregnancy.

Meanwhile, Bill becomes a clichéd bookie, Muriel is a heavily pregnant French maid, Gerald is an archbishop and Susan's real son Rick (now an odd-job man), to her horror, seems to be the groom for her imaginary daughter Lucy.

Susan's speech descends into the same gibberish Bill used at the beginning of the play, and, with a desperate request to "December bee", she collapses a final time.

It had been intended for several years to revive this play with the lead role performed by Janie Dee, with whom Alan Ayckbourn had worked on various occasions since 1992.

Janie Dee reprised her role, as did most of the Scarborough cast, and the play was produced by Bill Kenwright who had revived Absurd Person Singular in 2007.

Robin Thornber for The Guardian, meanwhile, was particularly positive with about the way Ayckbourn combined the character's ideal fantasy world with her bleak real word.

[2] Julia McKenzie was especially singled out for praise and won the Evening Standard award for best actress for her portrayal as Susan.

[15] In addition, Julia Mackenzie also received many anecdotal stories of how members of the audience had been affected by the play, including a woman who couldn't leave at the end whilst her son said "Mum, Mum," a father and daughter who spoke afterwards about things they had kept silent for years, and an actor who came to her dressing room and cried.

[16] In spite of this, the play closed one month earlier than originally intended and replaced with Duet for One by Tom Kempinski.