If you had the power of invisibility, what would you do?"
That's the question asked, more than once, in this clever multi-layered play which over the course of its straight-through 90-minute run gradually draws us in and keeps us utterly absorbed.
This new version - by locally-born writer Philip Correia, who's also an actor - of the famous HG Wells' story tackles the question firstly as a joke then more seriously.
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The person who thinks he has the answer, or at least that power of invisibility, is Griffin who here is a tortured young man rather than the scientist creation of Wells who found a way to make himself disappear - and wreak havoc.
Good with numbers, bad with words, Griffin is played by Daniel Watson with a mix of vulnerability and pent-up frustration, plus a threat of violence which you don't think he really means.
The therapist tasked with manoeuvring Griffin through the care system and into suitable accommodation for treatment for his apparent delusions is Dr Kemp (Kate Louise Okello).
And as she probes his claims of success in his invisibility experiments, her conversations with Griffin expose her own desire for invisibility and more about herself than she's comfortable with.
The story, which ratchets up tension at times and injects humour at others, is carried along at a lively pace by its talented cast of four, with Izzy Ions and Jack Fairley playing multiple roles, including a care worker who shows the human side of a rigid system.
I was particularly impressed by Fairley's versatility as he morped between voices - spot-on as a TV presenter - and characters, including a homeless man.
The choice of Northern Stage 's smaller downstairs stage three suited the confined feel of the story, with half the set given to the doctor's office and the other sharing outside action with the on-stage use of Foley: the traditional technique which allows the audience to watch usually-hidden sound effects in action - such as broken glass being shaken in a bag - which was a nice touch and a lot less distracting than it sounds.
As Griffin and Dr Kemp's conversations progress, the potential benefits of invisibility, we hear, are threefold: for slipping away, eavesdropping - and killing.
And when that threat raises its head, the play takes on a fleeting air of danger - although not long enough to feel properly nerve-jangling disturbing - as we wait to discover Griffin's full story and his fate.
If you know HG Wells' 1897 science fiction novel, remember the old TV series or have watched the 2020 film inspired by the tale, then rid the memory from your mind as this isn't any of them.
Seen through fresh eyes, it's The Invisible Man without the malevolence or horror, with a man's mental health struggle at its core that inspires sympathy more than anything, and it's a piece of theatre which makes you think.
Certainly the more I thought about it afterwards, the more I liked it.
The new production has a three-week run in Newcastle and then will go on tour from February 24 until March 26, with dates across the region as well as in Lancaster and Hull.
For tickets see here. There also will be a chance to watch the show online from February 10-19 as part of the Northern Stage at Home service.
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