It’s not often one gets access to the insights of a therapist into the mind of a pioneering artist. It’s even more extraordinary when that therapist is the father of psychoanalysis himself, Sigmund Freud.

That’s exactly the premise, though, of Lawrence playwright Dan Born’s new play, “Let My Mind Flash With Blades,” which examines the relationship between Freud (Dean Bevan) and Hilda Doolittle (Samantha Raines), one of the founding members of the early 20th century literary movement known as imagism.

Most of the action is centered in Freud’s office. Doolittle became his patient in the 1930s. At the time she was suffering from depression brought on by her divorce and the horrors of World War I. Over the course of her analysis, she also confronts the rise of the Nazis, fearing for Freud’s safety, and her bisexuality. The play is narrated by Frances Gregg (Liza Pehrson), who was involved with both Doolittle and their imagist mentor, Ezra Pound.

Raines gives a breathtaking performance as the troubled poet. She blazes from euphoric happiness to weeping sadness to nervous skepticism — often in the same scene — with complete fearlessness and perfect sincerity. She isn’t just convincing as a mentally ill artist — she is mesmerizing. Every moment she is onstage (and that’s much of the play) she is enthralling to watch.

Bevan gives a solid performance as Freud. Like Raines, he’s completely convincing in the role, but all the best moments in the show go to her. It’s a tough job for an actor, holding his own against the bewitching performance of a strong co-star in a role that seemed to be written with her in mind, and Bevan pulls it off with aplomb.

Pehrson is not to be outdone. She alternates between circumspect and passionate, between neutral narrator and angry former lover. The character strives to tell the story as a simple biographer, but she can’t quite manage it, and Pehrson plays this conflict smartly and skillfully.
Born has done a fine job directing the play and choosing his cast. There isn’t a lot of action, but he clearly knows how to draw performances from actors. All three shine under his direction.

Unfortunately, the script doesn’t match the caliber of the performers. The lack of action would make it tedious in the hands of less-able actors. Much of the play features Doolittle lying on a couch talking to Freud, who occasionally interrupts with a question as he sits in a chair. Gregg breaks in on the show between scenes, but her commentary tells us largely about her perception and opinion of Doolittle and little about the progress of the show.

Moreover, there does not seem to be a cohesive narrative between scenes. The play proceeds in linear fashion, and Doolittle feels as though she has made progress under Freud’s care, but there isn’t a breakthrough moment where we understand how she has changed and there isn’t any real indication of what she has learned about herself or how Freud helped her. She’s just kind of better at the end.

In the final scene of the first act and the first scene of the second, Gregg changes from aloof commentator on the play and enters the story directly, interacting with Doolittle. It’s not clear why this happens or what it has to do with Doolittle’s therapy and relationship with Freud. It’s revealing about Gregg’s character, but, by play’s end, it leaves us wondering who the focus of this show is: Troubled poet Doolittle or her would-be lover Gregg?
In the end, “Let My Mind Flash With Blades” doesn’t fully succeed. It’s clearly trying to say something about the people it concerns, but it’s not obvious what that is.

And yet, the performances of the three actors starring in the show are so engrossing and rich that it’s hard to be upset if the script doesn’t quite come off. This production, at least, is well worth seeing, featuring, as it does, three extremely talented actors weaving their magic exquisitely.

“Let My Mind Flash With Blades” plays at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 25 and 26 at the Lawrence Arts Center. Tickets are $7. Because of adult content, the show is recommended for audiences 18 and older.