Therapist Zero
- Juliet Morrison
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
A sense of unease hangs over this show from the start, like a storm forming somewhere just out of view. Brian opens with the story of his daughter Emily, a first grader who cannot stay seated, whose behavior escalates quickly enough to summon an army of mental health professionals. From that point on, the narrative shifts, and not always to its benefit.
The therapists dominate the story. They are described in vivid and often unsettling detail, more transactional than compassionate, closer to traveling contractors than caregivers. While this critique of the therapy system is sharp and at times effective, it comes at a cost. Emily herself remains frustratingly opaque. We hear very little about her interior life, her fears, or what she is actually experiencing. The show becomes more about the machinery surrounding her than the child at its center.
The resolution arrives abruptly. Emily finds peace through arts school, a turn that feels hopeful but underexplored. The final reveal that she goes on to Oxford is meant to be triumphant, yet it raises more questions than it answers. If this was the outcome, what exactly were the twenty eight therapists treating? As an audience member, I was left unsure what was ever wrong with Emily in the first place.
That uncertainty may be intentional. Emily questions everything, and the show seems to ask whether intellectual curiosity itself is treated as a pathology. Still, the piece never quite lands on a clear conclusion. The dark cloud promised at the beginning never fully takes shape, and the ending feels more like a punctuation mark than a resolution.
A thoughtful premise with moments of insight, but one that loses focus by keeping its most important character just out of reach.
Starring Brian Leonard
Performed on October 16
October 14 through November 23, 2025
Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street, NYC)
Juliet Morrison brings a wealth of global experiences to her work across film & theatre. A British actor, producer and writer, who calls New York home, her experiences extend from London, LA, and NYC. Having starred in many plays, whilst writing, producing and starring in her own play, which saw her win "Best Script of 2024" at United Solo, Theatre Row. What to look out for : Executive producer in an upcoming network holiday rom-com and can be seen acting in several films across 2026. www.julietmorrison.com
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