Review: 4.48 Psychosis

Written by Desiree Lim Sunday, 01 November 2009 16:18

Bedlam Theatre
28 Oct

* * *

With the advent of popular psychology, depression seems to be an ailment every adolescent suffers from, and the common verdict of a facetious self-diagnosis. Still, we'd certainly rather not broach the institutionalisation and drastic treatment it can truly require. Similarly, given our preference for self-control and decorum, we tend to be profoundly uncomfortable with witnessing unrestrained emotion - whether it's displayed by other people, or worse still, ourselves.

Edinburgh University Theatre Company's 4.48 Psychosis is thus difficult - even painful - to watch, compounded by the well-known fact it was Sarah Kane's last work before her untimely death. While we're no strangers to themes like suicide and despair, they're frequently watered down and limited to one character's inner turmoil, as opposed to pervasively afflicting the entirety of a play, with no formulaic solution - or discrete problems - in sight.

In line with 4.48 Psychosis's dialogue-centric nature, the set is appropriately low-key, featuring spotlights that eerily fade in and out, while the tiered stage allows for the maximisation of space, emphasising the effects of separation and togetherness. Though they may stand closely together, the cast rarely converse head-on; rather, they shift from expressing the detached sentiments of unsympathetic medical staff to being apparent extensions of a disassembled self, echoing and contradicting each other in a chaotic, discordant flurry of voices.

The only consistent characters are the anonymous protagonist (Cat Hobart), barely distinguishable from Kane herself, and to some degree, her doctor (Emma Kemp). Their interactions are deceptively polar at first, with Kemp playing the collected, mediating voice of reason against Hobart's wild surges of irrationality. However, their unlikely mutual empathy and simple declarations ("I like you") stand out starkly against the surrounding linguistic disorder.

Strengths aside, the production's greatest flaw is its tendency towards melodrama, obscuring the play's delicate nuances with volume and aggression; inadvertently alienating the audience, rather than heightening their emotional involvement. Though believable in her subtler moments, Hobart's anguish is undermined by her tendency for histrionics that veer towards juvenility, rather than honesty - her performance oscillates between being hard-hitting and gratuitously theatrical.

Stated in the director's note, this interpretation focuses on grounding the play, communicating depression's "inexpressibly real" qualities. 4.48 Psychosis does adequately meet its own standards, with its uncompromisingly raw portrayal of personal disintegration - a close-up of small-scale tragedy that, unfortunately, risks degenerating into jarring exhibitionism. All the same, it's hard to tell if the audience's inability to engage is a mere symptom of our unfamiliarity with the true nature of mental illness, and the horrors it genuinely entails.

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