5.14°C Paul T. Davies reviews 4.48 Psychosis, staged at the Headgate.
Colchester Fringe, now in its fourth year, is quickly becoming a feature on the theatrical calendar, and this year, it is bigger than ever. Back after a hiatus, it’s a welcome return for Colchester-based company 3 Wishes, and they pick up where they left off. Known for tackling audacious, challenging pieces, they stage Sarah Kane’s brittle, beautiful bruise of a final play, 4.48 Psychosis. Kane gained infamy and fame with her play Blasted in 1995, and 4.48 Psychosis is the play she never saw staged. Charting a night and a battle with mental health illness, Kane took her own life in 1999, and the Royal Court will stage the play next year on its 25th anniversary.
The text is a stream of consciousness and can be performed and reimagined in multiple ways, here by two actresses, Sadie MacMahon and Sallie Mills Lewis, mesmerising and powerful as the text becomes a conversation and can still be interpreted in many ways. Is the woman talking to herself, her “better” self? At times, they appear to be mother and child, doctor and patient, spirit and flesh. It is a compelling and emotional production.
Wendy Smith’s direction is forensic and humane, and the lighting and sound design by George Emberson is extraordinary. Music sometimes plays as if from a distance, loud bangs startle us out of our reverie, and hints of nature struggle to be heard against the chaos of the troubled mind. Crystals pick up the light and spear strong lines of light out into the darkness- may be messages of hope that there is always a way out. The way out here, however, is inevitable, and the performers seamlessly hit the rhythm of the language; the piece flows with ease.
Above all, it’s the words, Kane’s poetic, heartbreaking analysis of her own troubles. As suicidal intention becomes clear, the music moves centre stage, a beautiful sequence when the women look at each other as a piano version of Love Will Tear Us Apart plays, Ian Curtis, of course, another artist who took his own life.
Of course, it’s not for everyone, and trigger warnings are in place. But the atmosphere and staging are so complete that the audience feels as if they are inside the mind of the mentally ill. One sequence listing medication, side effects, and failure hits home as box after box of tablets is thrown and discarded. It’s an unforgettable experience, and I hope this production can find life after the Colchester Fringe.
