Perhaps more performance art than play, 4.48 Psychosis only attempts to do one thing. It seeks to create for the audience the experience of psychosis, and it manages to do so with a terrifying veracity. The audience is immersed in the anger, despair and desperation of individuals who are on the verge of taking their own lives as they can find no relief from their pain in either doctors or drugs. It is a gruelling 70 minutes of theatre, and when one of the characters says she feels as if she is being manipulated, the audience can probably wholeheartedly identify with that feeling. And, that may be an issue for this experience; for with the sense of emotional manipulation, comes withdrawal and distancing. Based on some of the darkly humorous comments we overheard as we left the theatre, this reaction may have been the case for several audience members. The sheer intensity of work had probably forced them out of the moment, and may ultimately have defeated the writer's purpose of engendering empathy for the play's trio of patients. For others, however, the horror that is mental illness and the inadequacy of society's ability to deal with it is brought home in a visceral and devastating manner. 4.48 Psychosis is staged simply and thoughtfully and makes shrewd use of video. It is also searingly performed by Daniel Evans, Jo McInnes and Madeleine Potter. This is not an easy evening in the theatre, but it can be a valuable one. Author, Sarah Kane, puts the audience in a very uncomfortable place which may conjure up a variety of provocative thoughts and complex emotions. This is an experience that may be deeply affecting, but it may not be one which the audience would choose to repeat.
Rated: ★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Marc Brenner
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