MULTIPLE PERSONALITY disorder, that particular form of schizophrenia in which more than one distinct creature seems to inhabit a person’s mind, is an absolute natural for dramatic interpretation. This is partly why such films as The Three Faces of Eve and Sibyl have been such successes. It’s also why some modern psychologists doubt that the condition even exists. Instead, they suggest, it’s just a convenient creation by overeager therapists and overimaginative patients intent on bringing some excitement to run-of-the-mill psychosis.
Husk
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Writer/performer Susy Schneider is dauntingly intelligent, which partly explains why this theory, along with several more subtle criticisms of the traditional view of multiple personalities, makes its way into her new show Husk. While on the surface this play is very similar to the sort of psychological “whodunit” that’s been kicking around in fiction and nonfiction since Freud first moved a couch into his office, it’s also a clever critique that asks some incisive questions about the assumed value of “sanity.”
Margaret (Schneider) is a quiet, polite, and, we discover, deeply troubled woman who’s been placed under observation after attempting suicide. Her attending psychiatrist, Dr. Prince (Josh List), is certain that she has multiple personalities, a fact that he’s anxious to prove since his charge is currently awaiting trial for the murder of a newborn infant placed in her care. Somewhere inside her mind, he believes, is the culprit—a violent personality responsible for the murder, now hiding it from the other members of her interior “family.” But his own preconceived ideas about multiple personalities seem to be leading him down some paths that have less to do with his patient’s well-being than with his own emotional conflicts.
Schneider’s meticulous character work as she flickers from one identity to another is near flawless, and if the script wasn’t as deeply thought out and shaded one might almost accuse her of merely creating a vehicle for her protean skills. The manner in which her physicality shifts from the protective Irene to the aggressive, cocksure Jerry then back to the bright but tentative Margaret is an impressive feat of acting. Susan Finque’s sensitive direction gives Schneider room to explore each character while keeping the piece moving towards an unexpected but affecting climax.
But perhaps it’s Schneider’s extensive experience writing and performing comedy that leads her to stuff so much information, with such relentless pacing, into this dark drama. When you factor in the polished but strangely hurried performance of List as the psychiatrist, there’s hardly a moment for the characters, let alone the audience, to mull over the scenes and conversations. At times it feels as if crucial information is being skipped over. Is her alter ego Jerry, for example, actually able to sneak out of the asylum at night? Or is this an elaborate fantasy? And if the personalities have emerged not from some simplistic psychological “trigger event,” where have they come from? Several similar loose ends dangle at the end of this play, which runs under an hour and a half without an intermission and could use some textual unpacking to smooth out its narrative. It’s still a strong showcase for this notable performer, but one that’s over almost before it has entirely begun.
