Charlie (a very convincing Mark Lee) is overwhelmed by grief following the death of his beloved wife Anna, after two years of marriage. For the amiable but not very self-confident Charlie, his relationship with the outgoing, lively and loving Anna (a charming Maddie Pottinger) has given his life quality and meaning. He is bereft not only of her presence but also of himself as he was with her.
When we first meet Charlie, a prone, despairing figure slumped upon a divan, he has literally fallen in a heap. He has lost his job and is likely to lose his unit, but it seems that nothing can motivate him to take charge of his life again. Instead he becomes a battleground for two figures, who have been silent up to this moment, and are seated either side of a chessboard in the background.
Both figures wear the sinister bird mask with elongated beak of the Plague Doctor, one white, and one black, suggesting their hallucinatory origin. While both represent themselves as healers – their credentials enhanced by iambic pentameter – they compete with each other to win over Charlie to their personal agendas.
The white-masked, confident Salus (Maia Cohen) tempts him to live only in the good memories of his relationship with Anna, in effect intensifying his loss. The seductive, dark Lues (Scott James), on the other hand, urges him to dwell upon his negative memories, reinforcing his guilt at having failed to cope with Anna’s illness and blaming himself for her death. However, if either creature gain ascendency, Charlie will be drawn further and further away from reality and ultimately into psychosis. Charlie’s torment is powerfully and physically enacted, as Anna becomes the axis about which Salus and Lues revolve, vying for control of Charlie’s mind.
For those like Anna, who suffer a physical illness, the possibility of being brave in the face of pain is uplifting, but for those whose anguish is mental there is the extra burden of feeling somehow diminished. Charlie is not able to reveal his inner torment to others for fear of being thought crazy, and it is this exact stigma that Lee’s play so passionately seeks to erase. A most thoughtful and challenging play, well supported by quality performances and high production values. Many thanks to Simone Smith, production manager, for her dedication.
