The Psychiatrist at White Bear Theatre Review
Written by Greta for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
The Psychiatrist is a play based on the life of its writer Julian Bird, who decided to retire early and become an actor after working as a psychiatrist for forty years. Bird was supposed to star in the production as well, but an injury before the run meant that Alistair Brown, the producer, stepped in, script in hand, to read for the titular role.
It is a difficult task to review a production that undoubtedly underwent many changes in between rehearsals and opening night; furthermore, I am unsure of which directorial and acting choices were already in place, and which have been introduced as a measure to mitigate the impact of the last-minute replacement. Considered the personal ties between Bird and the script, his unique lived experience, and the generative work that has surely occurred in rehearsals – but we were unfortunately unable to see in practice – I won’t be giving a star rating to this review, limiting my observations to what I’ve seen on stage last night.
The Psychiatrist centres on Andrew (a character explicitly based on Bird) a mental health professional who grapples with a particularly difficult case, making it necessary for him to go to therapy as well. His competent, put-together psychiatrist Zara (played by Stephanie Okoye, who also doubles as Alex, Andrew’s desperate new patient), gently tries to make him confront his issues with anger, disconnection, perceived absence of strong feelings, and abandonment. Parallelly, Andrew gets to explore these themes during his therapeutical journey as Alex’s therapist, as the similarities between the two become increasingly clear.
Andrew and Alex share a stifling approach to feelings, defaulting to bottling them up and putting them away; Andrew finds that this personal challenge does not impact on his work with patients, while Alex’s BDD has taken over her life and led her to breaking point. Their mothers are somehow distant from them, struggling to fulfil their desire for meaningful connection. Both severely struggle in their role as patients, distrusting and arguing with their therapist while simultaneously craving their approval and care. The tension in the sessions goes hand in hand with a fragile, yet hopeful, blossoming of trust, despite self-doubt; a reminder of what active listening and compassionate understanding can accomplish.
We also get a glimpse of Andrew’s love for theatre, kindled by the awe he feels for her mother, a professional actress. Interestingly, as Zara puts it, both have opted for an ‘indirect’ way of living, feeling at their most connected, grounded and alive when forming ‘second-hand emotional connections’. In a play that wants to shine a light on the mental health problems of therapists and the impact they can have on their own patients, this is an important key for us to understand Andrew as a person behind his professional figure, providing context for his actions and behaviour inside the consulting room and out.
The other aim of the play, to draw attention to the lack and inadequacy of resources that mental health professionals are faced with, does not succeed in the same way. We engage with this theme mainly through the phone calls that Andrew receives in his study, but since it’s not quite clear who he’s talking to, what is being said on the other end, or even the reasons for this calls, we only get a general sense of frustration at someone’s absence of understanding, rather than an injection of awareness or the emotional response that is meant to come with it.
Some sound design and directing choices also seemed slightly out of place; the piece transitions abruptly from lengthy classical interludes to equally awkward techno-ish ones, while a sense of disconnection is brought about the choice to set the premise of each scene via a voiceover recorded by Bird and mimed by Brown on stage, just for Brown to start speaking and taking back control of the narrative when the introduction is over. I wondered if this was perhaps a way to still incorporate Bird’s voice in the show without him being physically present, but it did seem like an artistic choice that would have taken place regardless of who performed the role of Andrew.
The Psychiatrist excels in conveying the complexity of mental health matters; how urgently people need more of this kind of help, what’s at stake for both doctors and patients if the conditions to meet these needs are not sufficient, and how the care that’s given is not always what’s best for the patient but a compromise between duty of care and resources. Bird’s professional experience unquestionably imbues the text with authenticity and compassion, eschewing narratives based on victimhood and banning the stereotypes of ‘perfect therapist’ and ‘perfect patient’. On stage we see imperfect, conflicted people who can say and do the wrong thing; they can also realise when they’re wrong, and try to do better the following time. Most of all, whatever their behaviour, they deserve dignity and care: we can’t allow ourselves to leave others behind.
We wish Julian Bird all the best with his recovery and hope to see him on stage soon!
At White Bear Theatre until 26 April 2025
