Austinist Theatre Reivew: 4:48 Psychosis
At the VORTEX, where Sarah Kane’s 4:48 Psychosis is currently being produced (in conjunction with Renaissance Austin Theatre Company), they advertise “free Prozac” and “no razor blades” at the bar before and after the show. We’ll admit it. The thought of watching a largely auto-biographical play written by a clinically depressed woman who promptly killed herself upon its completion was daunting (Prozac offer notwithstanding).
However, in what seems like a break from the Vortex’s standard fare – large scale, loud productions, that (for better or for worse) almost seem to threaten you into engaging with them – Bonnie Cullum and Co. take a quiet, almost scientific approach in their presentation of the character’s inevitable path toward destruction. While we would rarely advocate this kind of detachment from performance, in this context it keeps the audience from “checking out” of the action at times when it could’ve been difficult to stomach. Continually engaged, we were allowed to fully investigate the elements of the production – from the set design to the script to the actors’ performances – empathizing with characters’ journeys far more frequently then we would have when affronted with the bleak horror of it all.
In this regard, a significant amount of the praise belongs to Lorella Loftus, playing V (for Victim – a clerkly couched reference to Kane herself). She handles the poetic, rhythmically stylized text with a grace relatively uncommon to Austin stages. Her performance, while clearly connected, manages to capture the essence of V – finding both the high and low points of this heavily distressed character while avoiding dragging the audience through an entire performance of overly emotional, snotty speeches of self-loathing (which, believe us, might very well have happened with a less-experienced, or less-talented actress). However, we would’ve connected more deeply with Loftus’ character had she laughed at herself as often as the text provides the opportunity to do so. It’s the most compelling, human component of Kane’s script – the inherently British (ironically, Loftus herself is Scottish) tendency to be self-deprecating – “taking the piss” out of yourself – even in your darkest moments.
Loftus’ counterpart, Patricia Wappner, playing P (for Perpetrator), gave a very convincing interpretation of V’s psychiatrist – the most commonly seen, succinct character she inhabited during the performance. Pointed, distant, unemotional, and by the book – all without being too cold – it was the perfect foil to the often psychotic patient she was trying to work with. But when performing outside of these doctor vs. patient sequences, Wappner seemed (in contrast to Loftus) unconnected to the language, which made her performance less believable. This was especially evident in the sections of non-linear word-association that offer a break from the play’s main action.
Although it should be noted that these sections were the weakest part of the production as a whole – both actors’ performances, the staging, and the design seemed as if they just couldn’t quite figure out what to do with such abstract text. All parts took wild stabs at maintaining some kind of connection to the audience. These sequences seemed redundant (which is a playwriting problem, not a production problem), and as such, our distaste for them didn’t much affect our overal enjoyment of the piece. Because the show is intended to climax in this abstracted style, the piece's finale unfortunately falls a little flat.
Lastly, our review wouldn’t be complete without acknowledgement of Anne Marie Gordon’s fantastic set design. Stark, sleek and simple, Gordon’s solitary metal lightning bolt, suspended in nothingness, was the perfect backdrop for a story about the searing pain of being hopelessly alone. The consistency of color and material was also meticulous, as if to suggest that within this pain there existed a clarity of thought that was capable of great things (great things like writing plays that would change the face of British theatre).
All in all, this is a solid production of a daring piece of literature. The thoughtfulness and subtlety Vortex Rep and Renaissance Austin bring to Kane’s work, made for – ironically – a refreshing positive encounter with this difficult playwright.
Photo (c) Vortex
