Victory FM at Liberty University, Virginia, 9 July 2012
This debut production by writer and director David Steele, both graduates
of Liberty University, involved a married couple Gerry (Alex Miller), and Maggie (Kelli Overmyer) having to cope with Gerry's
OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). The condition manifested itself in several ways; a paranoid obsession with time; the
desire to have a daily schedule rigidly attended to; the belief that everyone should visit the house on time, with no possibility
of either being late or unable to come; and the desire to rehearse everything to do with childbirth before the couple's baby
actually arrived. Gerry even went to the lengths of obtaining a synthetic baby that cried at regular intervals, so as to ensure
that everything went right during his spouse's pregnancy.
Eventually Maggie decided that enough was enough and decided to leave him. Needless
to say Gerry was devastated; it seemed touch-and-go as to whether he could survive. The
play ended happily, proving beyond doubt that OCD is something which might be an illness, but it might also be psychologically
induced.
Jamie Cloutier's script was tautly written and expertly performed by the two actors.
Although the ending seemed a little soft-centred, especially when compared with the emotional struggles experienced in the
previous four-fifths of the action, OCD made for compelling listening. I look forward to the Playhouse of the Airwaves' next
production.
