Xavier Coy’s Fighting boasts a strong cast in its deeply personal exploration of bipolar disorder, but fails to be as fascinating as it should be.
In this new play, Sydney-based writer and director Coy brings to life the relentless battle inside one man’s mind. Facing bipolar disorder himself, and the author of the book Living with Bipolar, Fighting explores a day in the life of an unnamed man (Jay James-Moody), a telecommunications salesman living with bipolar. His moods, personified by one performer playing “positive” (Sophie Highmore) and another playing “negative” (David Woodland), are constantly at war, tugging at his emotions and fighting while he aims to make good decisions and keep himself from spiralling.
It’s a simple concept brought to life by a strong cast and interesting staging, bringing to life the internal conflict of the disorder, with particular intensity towards the play’s conclusion. The rapid shifts between humour and despair are effective but jarring and don’t lend themselves to absorbing the storytelling’s nuances.
On the performances, James-Moody is stellar as usual. Highmore does a brilliant job as the positive mood in his life and as the older owner of the mobile phone shop where James-Moody works. The cast’s ability to change their vocals and physicality bring more depth to their characters. The performances are all of a strong quality, and they are necessary to keep the story engaging.
However, with the drive of multiple actors portraying different aspects of the main characters psyche, it feels more theatrical than truly revelatory, more akin to Pixar’s Inside Out than a true emotional journey full of impact. The side characters, though humorous, occasionally undercut the tension rather than providing much-needed contrast.
Also, at 90 minutes with no intermission, Fighting doesn’t soar. It instead feels relentless. Simple lighting by Robin Legal and set by Tom Bannerman don’t add much to the production. The end feels overwrought, and the internal monologue in the script comes across as too simple at times. If the play was intended to be an intense drama on the reality of living with this condition, it does so in the bleakest and tiresome of ways.
Despite these drawbacks, the play is thought-provoking and full of excellent acting. Some may find it deeply moving, while others may leave feeling more drained than enlightened.
