I never promised you a rose garden review

Hubby and I finally made it last night after dropping the kids off for a Colorado Taekwondo Institute Lock-in ($45 for both to hang out all night, have class, run obstacle courses, play games, eat pizza, and watch movies until the wee hours of the morning while safely surrounded by great role model black belts=Priceless! Sorry, can't help that shameless plug - I love that group!).

The theatre has wonderful ambience, decor, and a great, intimate set-up (and we appreciated the full bar too!). Plus, it's easier to get to, and cheaper to park, than going downtown for a show!

I was prepared for something heavy, fully intellectual, and somewhat depressing given the subject matter at hand and was happily wrong - Walter adapted this very well with enough lighthearted moments to keep it from becoming oppressive, yet not inserting gratuitous funny moments that felt awkward. Having had a friend who suffered from, and ultimately committed suicide due to, schizophrenia, Debra's "gods" constantly surrounding her, invading her space, and talking over her really made it much more visceral for me as to how those with schizophrenia are constantly bombarded internally and get worn down by this disease.

The progression of her treatment, the way it caused immense stress in her family (and their own selfish short-comings), and her interaction with another patient, Carla, was well-organized and helped lend credibility. Seeing her small obsessive, repetitive behaviors lessen, and her "gods" become less present, were perfect visible cues of her return to health.

My favorite part, though, was the struggles of her doctor, Dr. Fried. Her strength of conviction in her methods, how she was becoming a dying breed of psycho-analysts: those who are truly gifted in reaching those with mental illnesses and helping them cope with their symptoms, and her own childhood demons that blinded her to her own shortcomings - that was fantastic. I haven't read Joanne Greenberg's novel, but I asked Walter afterwards if he did extra research on Dr. Fried's life to add to the play and he had. He recommended a book, which I've sadly already forgotten the title of, so I hope he will remind me again.

All in all, it was very enjoyable, the acting superb, and I highly recommend you go. It runs through Oct 27th.

When we went, both places were packed with a 40 minute wait and we had to go down the street to a definitely lesser quality meal. Make sure you leave plenty of time (unfortunately, we had no choice with not being able to drop the kids off any earlier than allowed).