Hi everyone, I'm a little late with
this post but you know what they say...better late than never. Anyway on 7th
March I journeyed back down to Sheffield to see another show in The Crucible's
Sarah Kane Season. Earlier on in the year I had been to see the rather
controversial but much loved Blasted (
click here to see my blog on
that), however, this time it was the turn of my favourite Sarah Kane play, and
second favourite play in the whole world (second only to Claire Dowie's Adult
Child/Dead Child...
click here to read my ramblings on that) 4.48 Psychosis...or
as my mum calls it 4.48 out 10 Cats Psychosis (you can probably tell what we
watch on the TV!).
I will warn you now that there may be
a few spoilers in this post as, like I said with Blasted, it's hard to talk
about it and evaluate it without giving bit away. However, 4.48 is the type of
play that even though I'd read it a thousand times, it's eclectic mix of
seemingly random yet beautifully placed lines, made it incredibly exciting as
the staging can change the whole feel of the play.
Firstly, I should describe why I like
this play so much...well I first read it in my second year at uni and
automatically felt connected to it as it's main focus is mental health. In
whatever way it's performed it's a very powerful representation on what it's
like to have mental health problems from the perspective of someone who has
been there and is still there themselves...what I mean by this is that there is
a debate as to whether 4.48 was Kane's suicide note as it was found by her feet
after her first attempt and whilst she didn't succeed this time it wasn't too
long before she did. The play's title, also, is embedded firmly in the world of
mental health as Kane used to wake at 4.48am to what she first described as
periods of madness but later went to say they were periods of sanity. The
reason why this means a lot to me is because for years I have suffered with
anxiety and mild OCD, as well as recently being diagnosed with depression...I
feel the play is very true to some of the feelings I have experienced and feel
that it is a great way of showing those who have suffered that they are not
alone, whilst providing those who haven't suffered with an insight and perhaps
an understanding as to what it is like to suffer with mental health problems.
The play is, also, special to me
because for my final uni performance my friends and I created a play called
[Untitled] which had elements of 4.48, as well as parts from Adult Child/Dead
Child and stuff we'd written ourselves, incorporated into it. This meant
working in depth with 4.48 and made it quite weird when watching the production
I went to see as I kept following on with different lines that what was being
said...it's amazing how a script can come back to you when you're prompted with
one or two lines!
Anyway, as for the production at The
Crucible, the first thing that struck me as I walked into the theatre space was
how different it looked from when I saw a Blasted there. Rather than waffle on
about this I've decided to draw you a picture with the top image being the
theatre as it was set out for Blasted and the bottom as how it was set out for
4.48. To me this really struck home about how versatile this theatrical space
was and I'd like to commend The Crucible for really working the space to suit
the play.
 |
Top: The Theatre Space at Blasted
Bottom: The Theatre Space at 4.48 Psychosis |
The seating, however, whilst
comfortable enough for me did have a few obstacles in the way of vision as I
was sat in the second tier, which was basically built into the wall. This meant
that there were stage lights and poles obstructing the view, in addition to the
fact that the vertical drop meant that some of the acting was obscured.
Furthermore, one of my friends was quite uncomfortable due to the height and
lack of protection...while the area was safe, if you suffer from vertigo it
probably doesn't feel that way. For this reason I would suggest booking early
when coming to view a performance in the studio space at The Crucible so as to
obtain seats on the ground level.
Coming onto the play itself, the first
thing to mention is that while it was very different to how I would have staged
it, it was still very effective and enjoyable. The play was depicted in two
styles: a counselling series of scenes with one character playing the
councillor and the other playing the patient; or scenes of supposed madness or
psychosis which focused more on the thoughts and feelings of a person with
mental health. I thought it very effective that the 'counselling' scenes were
portrayed with hospital-esque lighting
and an eerie silence that was only broken by the ticking of a clock. These
scene were, also very stayed with the characters staying seated on chairs for
the most part; hence giving the impression of counselling. The other scenes
were darker and accompanied with yellow lights that shone from the floor under
the stage level seating...in a weird way it almost felt like being encapsulated
in someone's brain; a feeling I felt suited the play well. During these scenes
the characters were freer in their movement and used the whole of the space
rather than just the centre part of the stage. All in all, I found the staging
very effective in aiding in providing the powerful message that the words
deliver.
The main difference between the
production at The Crucible and how I would have staged the play came in the
portrayal of the dialogue. The Crucible's production showed the dialogue to be
more like that of a typical play rather than the artistic, seemingly random,
way that Kane wrote it. I don't think this was wrong in any sense and was
really interested to see how it was portrayed thus way...I, also, feel that it
showed just how versatile 4.48 is and how many different ways it could be
portrayed. To give you an example of how I would have staged it here's a short
list of a few things I would have done: get the actors to chalk out the
numbers, as well as vocalising them, in the section where Kane filled the page
with numbers; repeated certain words and phrases throughout the play and
created rounds with certain sequences of text to create a feeling of chaos; and
get the actors to speak certain lines together to add more force and dynamism
to them. This is how I'd always visualised the play being staged, in a quite
blunt and forceful kind of way, however, The Crucible managed to get the
message across in a way that was calm yet dynamic at the same time. In my
opinion neither way is better than the other...just different.
Finally (and I know I've probably
broken my New Year's resolution by waffling on too much...but this it what happens
when I see such a detailed play that, also, happens to be one of my
favourites), I must talk about the acting, or more particularly one of the
actors. Whilst both Rakie Ayola and Pearl Chanda were very good, it was Tom Mothersdale who really took my
breath away as his depiction of someone with mental health problems was spot
on, in my opinion. There was just something about the way he acted that made
him real rather than an actor playing a part...a stunning performance, well
done.
Overall, I thought this was a very
good, albeit different performance to what I was expecting. I would definitely
recommend seeing this 4.48,and will certainly be going to see other versions
myself (when they are on) so as to explore the versatile nature of the play.
 |
Top: Tickets
Bottom: Programme and Leaflet / The Theatre |
I hope you enjoyed this
review, remember to follow this blog if you want to see more of my theatrical
ramblings, as well as following me on
Instagram. And if you want to ask me
anything please feel free to comment below or tweet me
@GreenGirlsRox.
Love you all
Kat
xx
Please open the curtains.
