Sarah Kane's beautifully dark 80-minute play explores the mind of a woman on the brink of suicide as she ferociously battles depression. 4.48 Psychosis may initially shock and offend, but its stark poetry, evocative imagery, and message will linger in your mind long after.
"...Everything done is overdone by an ensemble of 12 whose primary mode of interpretation seems to be to bellow the lines with the fervor of adolescents realizing they can curse. Directed by Brian Fruits, this production perhaps best represents Kane’s obsessive, elliptical text, which contains no roles and few directions, through a physicality that arrays the ensemble in a series of formations that heightens the claustrophobic experience of mental illness. However, any inkling of craft in either speech or movement is conspicuously absent." Read Full Review
Irene Hsiao
Chicago On Stage - Somewhat Recommended
"...Despite all of this, I felt the need to give it a Yellow Light status because it is clearly not a show for everyone. I'll recommend it to anyone who has an interest in inventive, avant-garde staging as long as you are also interested in dark, difficult material. If either of these two criteria does not prevail, I'd suggest you stay away, as you might feel that it is the first 85-minute show in history that is too long. If you go, though, you'll witness something singular and powerful. It will undoubtedly stay with you for a very long time." Read Full Review
Karen Topham
This show has been Jeff Recommended*
*The designation of "Jeff Recommended" is given to a production when at least ONE ELEMENT of the show was deemed outstanding by the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee.