'Bewitched, bothered and bewildered,' sang Doris Day; this production of Charlotte Jones' play unfortunately conjured up all three states.

Set in St Dymphna's Hospital for the Criminally Insane, the action starts in 1924 and flits chronologically until their release in 1972. Dora (Tanya Chainey) has been incarcerated because she's a "cigar smoking, monomaniac transsexual". Persephone (Alison Nicol) has simply got herself pregnant.

Many men and women were locked away in mental institutions for no good reason, however the play does not resonate for a modern audience.

The time shifts were disorientating and should have been clearer, while the jolly language smacked of a French and Saunders parody.

The women's sexuality was barely touched upon and there was no awareness of the institution existing beyond the space.

The play does not stand up to scrutiny, the production reduced it further.

Chainey and Nicol had no dynamic between them and sounded like two girls reading lines from a book.

Their emotional range was limited and thus engendered little empathy.

The period costume and unconvincing set were over fussy when a more sparse and stylised production would have created a better focus.

The claustrophobia of incarceration should have been overwhelming in a tiny venue that holds 20 people. It was! but for all the wrong reasons.