Sabina Analyzes the Analysts
A patient of Carl Jung and an acquaintance of Sigmund Freud who ultimately became a psychoanalyst herself, Spielrein has a history first detailed in the 1980’s in Aldo Carotenuto’s book “A Secret Symmetry,” based on Spielrein’s diaries and letters. Her life has subsequently provided material for a documentary, a dramatic film and two recent plays - Christopher Hampton’s “Talking Cure,” first produced at London’s National Theater in 2003, and Willy Holtzman’s earlier play “Sabina,” first produced Off Broadway in 1996 and now in revival at Primary Stages.
Ethan McSweeny’s production, which opened last night as part of the company’s 20th-anniversary season, is hampered by an unsatisfactory performance from Marin Ireland in the title role. But the history of Spielrein’s relationships with the founder of psychoanalysis and his protégée-turned-apostate is nonetheless engrossing. It provides a provocative window into the much-studied relationship between Freud and Jung.
Source: New York Times
