We are given a window into a mental asylum as this absurdist tale of tragic delusion unfolds before us. An enjoyable production let down by a a few average performances and a script that is trying to say everything and nothing at once.Eight women are sharing a cell of an insane asylum. Each one believes that she is a famous woman from history, from Joan of Arc to Amelia Earhart. Furthermore they have become convinced that there is a plan by the mens' ward to attack and kill them all. Whilst exploring ideas of identity and insanity as well as the historical oppression of women, the script always appears to be trying too hard. That is not to say there aren't strong moments, and at points I really enjoyed this play.The acting is a mixed bag with performances ranging from strong, such as the character of Gertrude Stein, to somewhat lacking in substance. This is exacerbated by some terrible accents which only serve to take away from the already difficult script.Despite these criticisms the direction is, on the whole, pretty good. There is a clever use of costumes and props to express identity, and moments of chorus and physical theatre which are really impressive.Not a bad production by any stretch of the imagination, the script and mixed acting nevertheless left me wanting a bit more. If absurdist theatre is your thing, you could do much worse than Chamber Music, however there are too many problems for this to be an easy recommendation.