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4.48 Psychosis
by Sarah Kane
Directed by Sean Graney
Produced by the-hypocrites
A Steppenwolf Visiting Company Initiative
At Steppenwolf Garage Theatre
1624 N. Halsted
Chicago, IL
Call 312-335-1650, tickets $15
Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8 PM
Sundays at 3 & 7 PM
Running time is 60 minutes with no intermission
Through December 18, 2005
4.48 Psychosis is a troubling depiction of severe depression
4.48 is the time in the morning when the mind is at its clearest and the time of many suicides in Britain. This play apparently was Sarah Kane’s (1971-1999) practice for her own suicide which she committed in 1999 by hanging herself with shoestrings months before 4.48 Psychosis premiered in London. This play vividly depicts Kane’s belief that ”there isn’t anything you can’t represent on stage.” Under the-hypocrites’ genius director, Sean Graney, 4.48 Psychosis is a compelling, almost hypnotic, stylized work filled with imagination and theatricality.
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“Sarah Kane was inspired by the theater of Artaud and she incorporated elements of his Theater of Cruelty…,” notes Graney. I’d call it ‘theater of insanity.’ The production values are exquisite, provocative and chilling. Graney has his actors intensely painting a portrait of a woman sinking into extreme depression. The set (design by Graney) has three parts: an all red bedroom with a sleeping man (John Byrnes), a white bathroom with a commode and a bathtub filled with water and a doctor’s office in bright yellow. The audience is standing through the 60 minute show and they are encouraged to change positions among to get a different perspective and to get connected better with the main character.
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We meet a woman (Stacy Stoltz) who is clearly suffering extreme self-hatred as she states early on, “At 4.48 I will kill myself. I do not want to die.” We see three women enter the space (Halena Kays, Jennifer Grace and Samatha Gleisten) who appear to be sub-parts of the tormented woman’s self. They wear wire dressed with a small baby doll hung atop of their heads attached to their backs by wire. The depressed woman rants and raves about her loathsome self. Her pain is compounded by her clinically neutral doctor who keeps reminding the woman that her feelings are not her fault, that she is sick.
The show is filled with imaginative movements, creepy mantras as Kane’s language is both allegorical and incoherent ravings. In a curious way, this show has a weird magnetism that leaves us wondering what will happen next, sort of like watching a slow-motion car wreck. Stacy Stoltz is a marvel to behold doing a most difficult role as she sinks lower into delusional behavior as 4.48 approaches. Her alienation becomes complete despite all the meds given her by the doctor. Her final action is eerie.
I guess Kane has given us a glimpse into the surreal world of despair that leads to suicide? Her theory is that we need to experience this in order to avoid it. I’m not so sure? Sean Graney’s production is so powerful, I’m not sure I’d advise any emotionally unstable folks to see this show since it could catapult mild depression into something dangerous. This is strong theatre with a raw sensuality and conspicuous imagery that drills a hole into our psyche.
The-hypocrites’ production is brilliant and compelling---it’s the subject matter that isn’t for everyone. If a dark journey is your thing, this one will challenge you fully.
Recommended only for the psychologically stable who don’t mind standing throughout
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Chicago Stage Talk Radio Show
This show is eligible for a C.S.T. Non-Equity Theatre Award
November 20, 2005
Jeff Recommended
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