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It is purported that most suicides take place at 4.48am… when darkness is deep and the body’s chemical imbalance is at its peak… a moment of clouded lucidity occurs… and much like the prince in C.S. Lewis’ The Silver Chair… those for which psychiatry and medication can not lighten the crushing burden of their existence will experience this hour as a moment of delirious sanity… all others will perceive it only as an hour of madness.

CITY PAGES REVIEW

The late Sarah Kane's play consists of a woman expounding a monologue, interacting with the embodied spirit of the most destructive depths of her consciousness, and carrying on heated (on her end) discussions with a psychiatrist. Carl Scott Thomsen, Mairi Newman, and Stephanie Kulbeik tackle this stuff and grab tight to all the self-loathing, defiance, nihilism, and occasional black poetry Kane provides. It's a solid take on a fascinating, hyper-intelligent, and frequently frustrating work (Kane comes across as bloody-minded to the extreme, listing all her meds as though daring us to be bored)—in all, a well-executed show mercifully brief at 40 minutes. Wed 7 p.m., Fri 10 p.m., Sun 2:30 p.m. Mixed Blood Theater. QUINTON SKINNER


Audience Reviews:

Understanding the darkness: This play made me uncomfortable. But it also moved me deeply. So often in our society, we look down upon those who are mentally ill ~ those who are deeply depressed ~ those who are suicidal. Often we don't know how to look, talk, or walk with those who have these deep dark thoughts of death. We don't want to understand... and often we simply look away. If we can open up our hearts, minds, and souls... this play can give us a first hand look at what those that face the pain of depression deal with every single day of their lives. The cast for 4.48 was amazing, and played their parts with passion and feeling. I walked out of the play feeling changed somehow, and more compassionate towards myself and others who deal with depression in their lives. Thank you to the director and cast for doing a play that is risky, but important for our world to see. PAUL STERLING-ROCKSWOLD

Those who didn't see this... sorry, but you missed out!: I caught the last show, but I'm writing a review anyway, if only for the eyes of those involved with the production. Of all the plays I saw this Fringe, (9, with one more to go at this eleventh hour of the Fringe,) this one moved me the most. I had a few minor issues with the script, but the acting was powerful, and you managed to make the minimalist staging perfectly stark. You also set the mood perfectly from the very beginning. This play could easily have been dismissable in the wrong hands--by being too extreme, too pathetic, or too in-your-face. But you got the right balance of mood and feeling. Just very good all around. JULIE MADSEN

A must see show!: A chilling story of mental illness and suicide, and a must see at the fringe this year. I thought at first that it might be too dark and depressing, but instead I found it very interesting and emotional. The director has the hard job of making a three person play not seem boring, and she pulled it off. All three actors are spectacular. I was highly impressed with their ability to make each line in a long monologue have its own purpose and inflection. Once again, a must see play! NH

Director

4.48 Psychosis
Bent
Why We Have a Body
No Exit
Trial of God
Beyond Therapy