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New York Times
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
A Play About a Breakdown Was a 2000 Hit. What Do Audiences Say Today?
When the British playwright Sarah Kane died by suicide in 1999, at age 28, she left behind the manuscript for an unperformed work. 'Just remember, writing it killed me,' Kane wrote in an accompanying note, according to Mel Kenyon, the playwright's long-term agent. Just over a year later, when the Royal Court Theater in London premiered the piece — a one-act play called '4:48 Psychosis' that puts the audience inside the mind of somebody having a breakdown — it received rave reviews. Writing in The New York Times, the critic Matt Wolf said it was 'arguably Kane's best play' and compared it to the work of Samuel Beckett. Yet despite the praise, a question hung over the production: Was it possible to honestly critique a play about depression so soon after Kane's tragic death? The headline on an article by the Guardian theater critic Michael Billington suggested a challenge: 'How Do You Judge a 75-Minute Suicide Note?' Now, 25 years later, theatergoers are getting a chance to look at the original production of '4:48 Psychosis' afresh, and see if passing time brings a change in perspective. The show's cast and creative team is reviving the production at the Royal Court, where it runs through July 5, before transferring to the Royal Shakespeare Company's Other Place Theater in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, where it will run from July 10-27. This time around, critical reception has been mixed. Dominic Cavendish, writing in The Daily Telegraph, praised the production and said the play 'still feels raw,' but Clive Davis, in The Times of London, argued that ''4:48 Psychosis' isn't a play at all, rather the random agonized reflections of a mind that has passed beyond breaking point.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Manhunt' Is a Case Study in Fragile Masculinity
One of the largest manhunts in British police history took place in northeastern England in summer 2010. The fugitive was Raoul Moat, a 37-year-old bodybuilder and former nightclub bouncer with a history of violence. He had just been released from prison when he shot Samantha Stobbart, his former girlfriend, and her new boyfriend, Chris Brown, in a jealous rage. Stobbart survived, Brown didn't. The next day, Moat fired a sawed-off shotgun at a police officer, David Rathband, at point-blank range, blinding him. While he was on the run, Moat reportedly vowed to 'keep killing police until I am dead.' The story was a rolling news sensation at the time. Moat was a clear and present danger, and the situation was fluid. But sheer scale of the police operation to track him down — involving more than 100 armed officers and a military aircraft — was unusual by British standards. The manhunt ended when, after a six-hour standoff with the police, Moat turned his gun on himself. In the weeks after his death, Moat was celebrated as a folk hero in some corners of the internet, and was lauded for what was seen as uncompromising machismo. A Facebook page in his honor amassed 35,000 members. The cast of 'Manhunt.' Alongside Edward-Cook, center, a small ensemble plays multiple parts. Credit... Manuel Harlan A bracing new play, 'Manhunt,' at Royal Court Theater in London presents Moat's story as a case study in fragile masculinity. Written and directed by Robert Icke — whose recent West End 'Oedipus' is heading to Broadway — it takes the form of an imagined trial in which Moat, speaking from beyond the grave, both re-enacts and reflects on the terrible events of the last week of his life. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
