Sheridan Smith Shines On Stage And Screen As Quartet Exits Prime Video

In the bustling world of British theatre and film, few names have captured as much attention in recent years as Sheridan Smith. With her unique blend of wit, vulnerability, and sheer talent, Smith’s recent projects have offered audiences a fascinating glimpse into both the highs and lows of performance art. Two productions in particular—Alan Ayckbourn’s Woman in Mind and Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, Quartet—have highlighted Smith’s versatility, even as they occupy very different corners of the entertainment landscape.

Currently, Woman in Mind is making waves in the West End. Set in 1986, this dyspeptic sitcom stars Sheridan Smith as Susan, a moaning Home Counties housewife who, when agitated, slips into a Yorkshire accent. The play, according to recent reviews, unfolds as Susan lounges in her leafy garden, sipping coffee and carping about everyone close to her. Her scowling sister-in-law Muriel, her cerebral vicar husband Gerald, and her grown-up son Ricky—who lives with a community of mute hermits in Hemel Hempstead—are all targets of her relentless complaints.

The plot thickens when, in Act One, audiences discover that Ricky’s community forbids him from speaking to his parents. Yet, in Act Two, he breaks his vow of silence, announcing not just his intention to emigrate to Thailand with a new bride but also, in Susan’s words, that his wife is “gauche” and “a bit jowly.” Susan’s response? She hasn’t even met her daughter-in-law, but her instinct is to “load up her shotgun and fire off a few pre-emptive rounds of abuse.” It’s little wonder, then, that Ricky seems eager to put as much distance as possible between his new life and his venomous mother.

But what’s real and what’s imagined in Woman in Mind? That question haunts the entire production. After Susan receives a blow from a garden rake, much of the action takes place in her damaged mind, where she conjures up an alternative family: two charming children and a devoted husband of Caribbean heritage. These fantasy sequences, performed in front of a moveable screen labeled “Safety Curtain,” are described as a “constant and vexatious puzzle” for the viewer. In Susan’s dream world, her imaginary children adore her, and her black husband is passionate, even as thunderstorms rage. “I’m making love to the devil!” she exclaims—a line that somehow slipped past the censors.

In another twist, Susan’s fantasies introduce a bearded Asian fraudster, played by Romesh Ranganathan, masquerading as an English GP named Dr. Bill Windsor. The confusion deepens as Susan imagines this character in both her real and fantasy worlds. The fake doctor’s awkward attempt to grope Susan during a supposed physical examination is “lost beneath multiple layers of simulation and imposture.”

Despite the play’s meandering between reality and fantasy, Ayckbourn’s script contains only two explicit jokes: one about the metaphysics of Christianity, the other about Muriel’s signature dish—burned omelettes served with Earl Grey tea leaves. Both are delivered by Tim McMullan, who plays Susan’s pretentious husband, Gerald. McMullan spends his time writing a 600-year history of the parish and brings a subtle disdain to his role, his “amused insouciance” and “skinny jeans” perfectly capturing the character’s essence.

Sheridan Smith’s portrayal of Susan has drawn mixed reactions. While her performance as the toxic, parasitical housewife is described as “reasonably well” done, critics have pointed out that Smith’s appearance—her arms and legs covered in tattoos that resemble wallpaper patterns—doesn’t quite fit the Home Counties aesthetic. “Long sleeves and opaque tights would conceal these anachronisms,” one reviewer noted, lamenting the production’s lack of attention to detail. “Cost? £100. No one could be bothered.”

Yet, for all its flaws, Woman in Mind is a fascinating character study—a play about a “posh, idle brat whose hatred of her relatives is keenly reciprocated.” It’s a show that leaves audiences questioning what’s real, what’s imagined, and, perhaps, why this “scout-hut show” ended up on the West End stage at all.

Switching gears from the stage to the screen, fans of Sheridan Smith have another reason to celebrate—or hurry. The 2012 British drama Quartet, in which Smith stars alongside acting royalty like Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly, and Pauline Collins, is about to leave Prime Video. Adapted from Ronald Harwood’s West End play, Quartet marked Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut and follows the residents of Beecham House, a retirement home for former professional musicians and opera singers.

With its ensemble cast and gentle humor, Quartet has been praised by critics. Paste Magazine described it as “as brilliant and lovingly composed as the operatic pieces that soar through the background,” adding that viewers would be “longing for an encore.” Digital Spy called it “a cosy comfort blanket of a film” with “stand-out performances,” especially from Maggie Smith, who brings her signature withering stare to the role of Jean, and Billy Connolly as Wilf.

For Sheridan Smith, the experience of filming Quartet was nothing short of magical. Speaking to Digital Spy, she recalled, “There was such a great atmosphere on set that a lot of the stuff in the film is genuine outtakes and laughter. It was all really spontaneous and magical. He’s really captured that in the movie.” The camaraderie among the cast, she said, made the project “really spontaneous and magical,” with plenty of jamming and genuine moments captured on film.

But all good things must come to an end. Quartet is set to leave Prime Video on January 30, 2026—just days away. For those who miss the cutoff or aren’t Prime Video subscribers, the film remains available on Sky Cinema and NOW (with a Cinema membership), though no removal date has been confirmed for those platforms.

Both Woman in Mind and Quartet showcase the breadth of Sheridan Smith’s talent, from biting satire on the West End stage to heartwarming ensemble drama on screen. As streaming rights and theatre seasons change, audiences are reminded how fleeting access to great performances can be. Whether it’s the surreal confusion of Ayckbourn’s play or the gentle nostalgia of Hoffman’s film, Smith’s work continues to resonate—sometimes messy, sometimes magical, but always worth watching.

With Quartet soon to disappear from Prime Video and Woman in Mind stirring debate in the West End, Sheridan Smith’s recent roles invite both laughter and reflection—proof that, in British theatre and film, the line between reality and fantasy is as thin as ever.