Rawshock

By: Darryl Reilly

“Is there a better way to say she’s been in the nuthouse?” That is a helpful remark offered by a psychiatric patient during a group therapy session in aid of another member in playwright Rita Lewis’ searing topical drama, Rawshock. A supportive female psychiatrist oversees “The Inside/Outside Club,” these are five patients who meet up; some are long-term residents of a facility, and others are outpatients. Ms. Lewis’ articulate characters are a cross-section of contemporary Americans; each are delineated through just enough biographical details; all are relatable and inspire empathy. The play is structured as short scenes mostly in the therapy room where traumas are recounted, solutions are offered, fights are fought, and camaraderie exists. “That took guts, I don’t think I could ever let it out like that, I just can’t.”

Conflict is established during the terse opening scene as the group’s psychiatrist confronts the male new head of psychiatry; he has been installed by the corporation who has recently bought the hospital. He is going to evaluate operations and make recommendations, there is anxiety as another nearby corporately acquired hospital has been closed. Of course, this new head of psychiatry will become pivotal in threatening the existence of “The Inside/Outside Club.”

Rawshock’s tales of those battling mental illness colliding with present-day corporate greed becomes a compelling morality clash due to Lewis’ exquisite command of dramatic writing. Her plot is quickly set in motion, exposition is imparted through precise and flavorful dialogue, and the satisfying realistic conclusion is wistfully ambivalent. Rawshock is a well-made play pungently dramatizing current social issues. It can be assumed that the title is a playful take on “Rorschach test.”

Director Ken Wolf’s exhilarating physical staging is marked by rapid pacing with fiercely choreographed sequences of physical violence and emotional outbursts. The actions vividly occur on the stage simply set with full-length beige curtains and a few key furnishings. Mr. Wolf’s straightforward lighting and design also contribute to the overall presentational effect of experiencing a Rod Serling-type landmark 1950’s Golden Age of Television live drama, as directed by the likes of Delbert Mann, Sidney Lumet and Arthur Penn. That entrancing dimension is enforced by the supreme cast Wolf has assembled and guided. For 80 minutes, each actor offers and sustains fearless characterizations, even when silently in the background.

The authoritative, yet approachable Camber Carpenter is serene as the heroic therapist with her appealing professional speech pattern and noble bearing. Often banging a cane and bellowing, Theresa Della Valle recalls American acting titans Shirley Booth, Thelma Ritter and Eileen Heckart’s histrionic gutsiness with her heartbreaking portrayal of an upper class, former “bad girl” who is now an aged long-term institutional resident. Ms. Della Valle is shattering delivering a reminiscence of cutting up a mink coat belonging to one of her parents’ snooty high society friends. Dressed all in black with flowing black hair, the thin, animated and alluring Jennifer Pierro is haunting as a disturbed artist off her meds; she is riveting enacting several harrowing breakdowns.

Chelsea Clark conveys tremendous pathos as a troubled young woman on the verge of a new start in life, attempting to obtain an office job. A grand highlight of Ms. Clark’s winning performance is a simulated job interview where clad in under-class finery, she gleefully engages in hilarious, swift corporate double talk while smoothly extricating herself out of questionable background minefields. Her interviewer is the new head of psychiatry who is supposedly sympathetically observing the group; he is played with premier character actor verve by the august David Silberger. Mr. Silberger’s soothing cadences and mature everyman persona allow him to effortlessly veer from benevolence to treachery.

While his lustrous black ponytail sways as he swaggers around in jeans, Nathan Cusson is ferocious as a combative hothead patient. Mr. Cusson also displays this complex character’s tenderness with his affective performance as he steps up to help the group. The blond and achingly voiced Christian Libonati beautifully combines intensity and weariness as a forlorn substance addicted male prostitute; his anguished turn inspires memories of Brad Dourif in One Flew Over the Cuckoos’ Nest. Mr. Libonati and Cusson have some galvanizing verbal and physical interactions together.

Rawshock intelligently explores its painful subject matter through blazing theatricality.

Rawshock (through November 3, 2024)
Manhattan Repertory Theatre
Chain Theatre, 312 West 36th Street, in Manhattan
For tickets, visit www.manhattanrep.com
Running time: 80 minutes with no intermission