“A writer is a person who feels the need to have certain feelings, thoughts and experiences described, to see certain ideas pursued, and at one point or another, he/she makes the audacious choice to appoint him/herself as the person who can conceivably do this.’  Scott Spenser, American novelist.

With much gratitude to the late  young British writer Sarah Kane’s (1971-1999) decision to write about her battle with mental illness, we have 4:48 PSYCHOSIS (2000- Royal Court Theatre),  one of the most important plays on the subject ever written.

The play is goosebumps/chills up the spine territory. Experiencing it was like listening to a reporter filing a report from the midst of a war zone.

For Kane, what went on and off in her head was the ultimate battlefield. We witness her describe how, “I have fallen out of love with life”, her constant battles with the different medications and the assortment of Doctors treating her…her  thoughts that bounced off the floors, wall and ceilings, brilliantly conveyed in Jeremy Allen’s dance studio like set design and Alexander Berlage’s ‘open up the hatch and let the light in’ lighting design.

This is a  fine production by Anthony Skuse, one of the best theatre directors working in Sydney.

Kane’s play has been given very different interpretations over the years, even at one time being turned into a critically acclaimed opera. Anthony Skuse’s production sees three female performers memorably  take to the  stage and give evocative performances.

Zoe Trilsbach, for the most part, plays the medical staff in care of Kane, and Ella Prince and Lucy Heffernan play different guises of Kane.

Recommended, A Workhorse Theatre Company production in association with Red Line Productions, Sarah Kane’s 4:48 PSYCHOSIS is playing the Old Fitz Theatre, 120 Dowling Street, Woolloomooloo until the 9th September.

http://www.redlineproductions.com.au