Through March 7, 2009
Reviewed by Andrea Braun
Since Sarah Kane, already a respected playwright in her native London, killed herself at 28, and since her last fragmented work, 4.48 Psychosis, is about a young woman who commits suicide, then it is giving nothing away to say this is not a lighthearted romp of a show. Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble (SATE) is known for its willingness to take risks and this is a big one that pays off. Kane's material is crafted into one of the most viscerally moving pieces of theatre I've seen. Ever.
Pamela Reckamp directs her cast of six women, two of whom (Ellie Schwetye and Rachel Tibbetts) play various psychiatrists who try and help the tormented protagonist (Audrey Martin) whose fragmented psyche is represented by Cara Barresi, Kimberly C. Mason and Margeau Baue Steinau. At times, the three are the Erinyes, angrily taunting her and haunting her nightmares. Other times, one of more of them is a sympathetic "other" self who may literally walk in her footsteps and speak in her voice. Techniques of movement designed by Pilobolus enhance the Suzuki training and Viewpoints methods the company develops in its workshops. What results is a visual and aural amalgam of madness incarnate.
Madness can, however, allow periods of clarity, and the young woman experiences hers at 4:48 a.m. for a short while most days. "Open the hatch," one of her voices cries, and briefly, the demons are silenced. But they are relentless. She seeks help, and there are some rather scathing points made about Britain's National Health Care system, at least as regards psychiatry.
As a writer, she doesn't want medication because she fears the loss of her creativity, but she finally gives in. She responds poorly to the gamut of anti-psychotic drugs-some do nothing, some make her ill, and some make her comfortable, but she loses memory and other vital functions. She even tries keeping a journal of positive thoughts at one point: "Embrace beautiful lies-the chronic insanity of the sane."
She is a cutter, but it brings her no relief, even though her doctors insist it must. She is in love with death and fears it, yet no easy Freudian Eros/Thanatos trope can penetrate her bicameral mind. Early on, she says she wants to kill herself to get it over with because it is too painful to live with the knowledge of death. She seems to lack the self-protective denial mechanism that keeps most of us from dwelling on extinction.
Desperation notwithstanding, 4.48 Psychosis also funny. It seemed that the audience was uncomfortable laughing, but the laughs are there, especially when the other "selves" enact a game show scene accompanied by the theme music from, among others, The Price is Right. And the protagonist is herself, "witty" in the Metaphysical sense because she manages to reconcile humor and dysphoria. Sometimes, anyway.
The Director's Notes explain that the script is challenging with "no character line delineations, no punctuation, no stage directions, and such cerebral images." SATE is all about collaboration, and Reckamp credits the company and dramaturge Judy Tibbetts with guiding her in making the play emerge. There are numerous religious images. Kane was brought up as an evangelical Christian but her God has gone missing. She still tries to pray, though Jesus only laughs at her from the crucifix in her mind. Ultimately, the cross she bears herself proves too heavy, and she ends her life by blood, poison and strangulation. It's important to know that this death was no accident.
Michael B. Perkins receives credit for the mood-enhancing sound design and lights, and director Reckamp created a simple, functional set. The actors fill the spaces, so less really does feel like more. Further, the playing area is a chapel with arched windows; high, beamed ceilings, and a sense of atmosphere entirely appropriate to the religious underpinnings of the work.
It seems almost unfair to single out a performance but, for me, Audrey Martin is first among equals. She's very young, yet she has a presence, and a maturity in her work; a particular grasp of craft, that usually doesn't come until much later in a career. But everyone is at the top of her game here, and each forms an integral part of a true and truly organic ensemble.
Reckamp says her actors, "know no physical boundaries," and they do not. They don't shy away from exposing their rawest selves. This discomfits us, and I mean that in a good way. They never break the fourth wall, but it feels like they do. By the end, I was exhausted, emotionally spent, and yet had a fuller understanding of what true madness looks like, whether it comes in the form of bi-polar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, or, as I suspect for Kane, one each from columns A, B and C. It is a firmly held belief in our society that suicide is never the answer. This intriguingly expressionistic play interrogates and ultimately rejects that idea. This long, strange trip is a difficult journey for the audience but deeply satisfying and worthwhile. Take the ride.
4.48 Psychosis is at the Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble space at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander in Clayton through March 7. For tickets, call 314-835-7415 or visit http://www.slightlyoff.org/. (Please note that performances are on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. There are no Sunday shows.)
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