I finally saw this last night and needed to marinate. I am so deeply conflicted because this show hits me right in between my work (psych nurse for 10 years) and my passion for theatre. (For context, I know the play’s general premise, but have neither seen a staging, nor the film)
The Good:
- Carrie Coon. She is absolutely doing great work here and you can see her slowly making the fall into the shared psychosis/folie a deux with Namir’s character, undoubtedly abetted by extensive crack use. By the time she reaches the end of the second act and she goes on this flight of ideas that sounds absolutely nonsensical, it clicks that it makes perfect sense *to her* which, in psychosis, it’s important to understand that what seems unreal to the neurotypical world is VERY real to them and should be treated with reassurance that is validating but not affirming.
- Jennifer Engstrom. As the comedic foil, catalyst, and last chance for salvation for Coon’s character, she really is a Swiss Army Knife of a performer in what could be perceived as a thankless role.
The Conflicted:
- Namir Smallwood - While his second act destruction as he fully envelops Coon into his delusions is quite marvelous, he has absolutely no sense of danger or mystery lurking beneath him in the first act, even when the mask begins to slip toward the end of the act. He’s very mild, milquetoast, and seems lost and so I never felt any buildup from him. It’s all very inert. I know Michael Shannon was acclaimed in the role and he has a very inherent ability to make people feel unease from the jump - there needed to be an actor more like him in this role.
- The Psychiatrist Character - I know he comes from a good place, but some of his ethics are extremely questionable (no doubt for dramatization, but I was still bothered), and also his improper use of psychiatric terminology was painfully outdated even by the standards of when the play was written. Describing Namir’s character as “a delusional paranoid with schizophrenic tendencies” felt like nails on a chalkboard since it’s correctly ascribed as “delusional disorder; persecutory type. I’m wondering if alternative language could be crafted where it conveys the essence of Namir’s disorder without using language that, to me, wouldn’t help foster trust.
- The Set - The mid-act two transformation is a wonder to behold and I love the framing that basically creates a claustrophobic environment, but if Cromer can pull that off, why do we need a 15-minute intermission for extensive manual prop placement?
The Bad:
- The Pacing - BLOODY HELL! I have NEVER seen an act break murder any buildup of dramatic tension like this in quite some time. Because of the structure of Act I and it mostly just being stirs and whispers of things to come, I did see a few people walk out at intermission because they were bored. Even by intermission, I was getting a little cross-eyed and the blast of cold air when I went out to use my phone helped slap me back into reality.
The act break is primarily used to set the stage for Act II and so you’re watching stagehands essentially move on a bunch of props. Surely there has to be a more efficient way of doing this without a whole stopdown. It really takes you out of the play and, if you are some people, you may not be bothered to stay around for the explosive ending. For being almost three weeks into previews, I expected far better from Cromer - so this was a MAJOR miss by him.
Overall, I would still recommend it, primarily for Coon and the grand finale (last 20 minutes) alone, but your issue is going to be your resolve in waiting it out. Sidebar: Your tolerance for blood should also factor into your decision because its use is quite realistic in terms of the body horror genre.
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