Review: THE OTHER PLACE at Theatre Artists Studio

To say that Sharr White’s THE OTHER PLACE is unsettling is an understatement. And yet, the discomfort is purposeful. White intentionally thrusts the audience straightforward into the restless and confused mind of Juliana Smithton, an eminent neuroscientist on the verge of a major pharmaceutical breakthrough, aptly named Identamyl.

If Juliana (portrayed with vigorous and wide-ranging emotional depth by Debra Rich) is confused about what is real and what is illusory, so are we. The playwright has devised the arc of the play so that, not until its very end, do we comprehend the cause of Juliana’s dis-place-ment. In this regard, there is a reason why the work (the featured production of Theatre Artists Studio through February 4th) is branded as a “psychological mystery”…and why this review will refrain from spoilers.

However, and more importantly, the play, directed by Tom Noga, is an immersive experience in empathy-building. To understand Juliana’s doubts and torment, we are invited, subliminally, to experience them ourselves. So, for eighty minutes, we are one with Juliana, as unsettling as it may be, struggling to get our bearings and to navigate the passage from one “place” of mind to another.

Julia’s world is aswirl with tension ~ the pressure of impressing the patriarchy of her peers (save for the strange presence of a girl in a yellow swimsuit) with the unique attributes of the new drug and the intricate structure of chromosomes; the pain of an impending divorce with husband Ian (Garnet Harding); tense conversations with an estranged daughter and a psychiatrist (both roles performed by Zoe Uhrich); and the fear of a life-threatening disease.

As the lights dim to signal Juliana’s passage from one of these confrontations to another, one thing never changes. A set of tilted and empty picture frames on the otherwise blank wall of the stage seem to symbolize her displacement. If they were to be filled, what consequential clues might they provide of times past at that other place in Juliana’s life (a summer place in Cape Cod, miles of memory away from her life in Boston), of the moments she shared and the family with whom she shared them?

If all of this sounds surreal, it is…in a way…but, by play’s end, the point and the reveals are as real as can be, a sobering reminder of our vulnerabilities and what is required to ease our pain.

While more could be done with lighting, stage design, and technical effects to accentuate the mood and gravity of the story, the play’s dramatic impact hinges thoroughly on Ms. Rich’s powerful and nuanced performance.

So, be prepared to be stressed. This is the price of the passage to another place called empathy.  

Theatre Artists Studio ~ https://www.thestudiophx.org/ ~ 4848 E Cactus Rd #406, Scottsdale, AZ ~ 602-765-0120

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