A Review of an Insane Play
Have you ever hated your life? Truly hated it to the point that you question your sanity? This play is about that.
Directed by BSU student Yahaira Torres (she/her), The Insanity of Mary Girard is about a woman in an institute questioning her sanity while looking back at her life. The play takes place in the 1790s, evident by how the characters talk and dress, but also due to how mental health is treated. She is trapped in a mental institute against her will and without actually having been declared insane by a doctor, just by the judgment of her husband. It is based on, or at least inspired by, a true story. Without getting into spoilers, since she is speaking to her Hallucinations and seeing events that she could not be present for, it brings into question the accuracy of the plot. Whether in the world of this play the events occurred as we see them or if we are seeing events through the eyes of a truly insane woman.
The play was quick, a little less than an hour in length, and spent its time well; none of the scenes dragged and none were too fast. The set was good as well, nothing but the “tranquility chair” and mask was on the stage, with the background being a few white veils. The use of lighting worked as well, particularly using red light when the play got more dark and hopeless.
The actors played their parts well. Mary’s actress, Ava White (she/her), did well conveying a woman whose hope in life was utterly collapsing in real time. The others who played multiple characters excelled, showing their ability to jump between roles without seeming like the same character in a new suit. The Hallucinations themselves worked well, but their habit of only saying one or two words and finishing each other’s sentences got annoying fairly fast. I wish they just talked normally the whole way. But besides that, I don’t have a complaint with the actual acting.
Overall the play was fairly good. It had good acting, showing the actors ability to jump between roles effortlessly. The play also showed that less can be more in stage design and props. My only other complaint than the Hallucinations was the fact that the play was $15. That’s pretty expensive; its more than a movie ticket. Outside of that I would give the play a solid 7.5/10.
