Suicide play ‘4:48 Psychosis’ offers a cliché mind trip

Quick: Who’s one of the most produced contemporary playwrights in Europe? The answer is Sarah Kane, whose small output belies her iconic status in her native England and especially on the continent. The last thing she wrote, 4:48 Psychosis, has become especially popular. Which is staggering considering the one-act piece is a bleak, nihilistic exploration of the mind of a woman about to commit suicide — as Kane herself did, in 1999. She was 28. The first words of the play are “I am sad.” It’s all downhill from there. Interest in Kane has been growing steadily stateside, brokered by Soho Rep’s hit version of Blasted — a howler featuring rape and cannibalism. Now St. Ann’s Warehouse is bringing over a Polish version (with English subtitles) of 4:48 Psychosis that’s proving to be quite the hot ticket.