Sage Center

What I liked

The performances by Samiah, Jahrell, Kevin and Jeff were fantastic. They truly immersed themselves in the roles of those affected by schizophrenia and other mental health issues. Kevin especially seemed to capture someone stuck in a delusion that he couldn’t get out of. Niranand was also great in his role, at first it seemed as if he was strictly a woo-woo comic relief character that crawled right out from one of the many yoga studios in LA but it made a particularly jarring moment more impactful when even he chastised the main character.

What I didn't like

It would be hard to give criticism without mentioning how dangerous some of the ideas presented in the play were. Having a few members of my family with different mental health issues that align with schizophrenia I was alarmed with how the plot of the play seemed to revolve around a man with no experience haphazardly interjecting himself into the facility, literally screaming at patients and committing multiple violations that made his coworkers uncomfortable. I almost wish the main character was completely removed from the plot – as the other staff members really had some charming moments with those committed. Sadly, these moments were often undercut by the main character coming in and making the worst possible decision and often yelling at the patient in the scene. Instead of any lasting consequences, somehow every character ends up feeling sorry for the tantrum throwing protagonist and it really cheapens the whole experience. I will say, it was a unique take on the white savior dynamic for our hero to not only get his one patient thrown in jail but to be told it’ll all be made better by saying sorry. Hell, the one voice of reason was reduced to a bad trope by the end of the play because it turned out she was jealous of the positive attention our ‘hero’ was getting from the residents and most of her criticisms of the MC were based on that. Truly a Pauly Shore or Adam Sandler movie type plot where a buffoon is thrown into a situation with none of the fart jokes.

My overall impression

I could see a lot of heart put into the play and was surprised at the topics it brought to the surface.