By: Jim Manley
In a season blooming with theatrical debuts, one play ventures where others tiptoe: deep into the heart of a family grappling with the sudden rupture of mental illness. Cracked Open, the new play written and directed by Gail Kriegel, begins performances May 6 at Theatre Row, with opening night set for May 20, 2025 — a timely launch during Mental Health Awareness Month.
But don’t let the serious subject matter fool you. “The play isn’t about despair,” Kriegel insists. “It’s about endurance. It’s about love. Things that fall apart can sometimes be put back together — and at times, stronger than before.”
Cracked Open tells the story of a seemingly typical family thrown into chaos when their teenage daughter experiences a psychotic break. Through 11 actors portraying 32 vivid characters — from bewildered doctors to tireless advocates to the girl herself — the play paints a sweeping, unsentimental portrait of resilience in the face of a fractured system.
For Kriegel, the journey to Cracked Open wasn’t a sprint, but a slow, steady beat of inspiration stretching across decades. “The seed was planted when a family member had a psychotic break,” she shares. “Our whole family entered a circus of doctors, psychiatrists, social workers, and treatment centers. I kept seeing a line of medical people across a stage, each offering different solutions.”
Her research into mental illness led her to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), where she volunteered for 15 years, hearing firsthand the struggles — and triumphs — of families fighting for their loved ones. “There was so much heartbreak, grief, and also moments of unexpected hope to stay silent,” Kriegel says. “I felt compelled to write about it.”
The result is a work that feels both sweeping and heartbreakingly personal. The staging is intentionally minimalist — mere brushstrokes of setting to let the emotional complexity of the story shine. “I originally had 22 characters,” Kriegel laughs. “Obviously not producible! I pared it down, but kept the core. The goal was to strip everything back — no gimmicks — just the truth.”
Photo Courtesy: Russ Rowland / Dream Big World Theatre Inc.
The powerhouse cast assembled for Cracked Open includes Pamela Bob (Broadway: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder), Joyia D. Bradley (Off-Broadway: Mirrors), Rubén Caballero, Paul Castree (Broadway: Water For Elephants), Blaire DiMisa (Regional: Anastasia), Scott Harrison (NY: David: A New Musical), Madeline Grace Jones (Regional: The Color Purple), Lisa Pelikan (Broadway: Franz Wedekind’s Spring’s Awakening), Katherine Reis (HBO Max’s Gossip Girl), Bart Shatto (Broadway: War Paint, Les Misérables, Hands on a Hardbody), and Jeene Vath (LaMama’s H.M. Koutoukas’ Medea of The Laundromat).
Directing her own play, Kriegel says, brings a surprising kind of freedom. “Writing, you’re alone in your little room with dreams. Directing? You’re part of a group — collaborating, creating, learning. The actors have taught me as much about the play as I ever knew myself.”
And while the storytelling pulls no punches — portraying confusing diagnoses, the stigma surrounding mental illness, even violence within the mental health system — Kriegel balances hard truths with hope. Moments of humor, tenderness, and even romance breathe life into the narrative. “There’s a ‘magical theme’ woven into the story,” she hints. “A community lifting someone up. A rabbi offering ancient prayers. And two lost people finding love.”
As for timing? Kriegel believes Cracked Open arrives at a particularly relevant moment.
“May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and yet so many people are still afraid to talk about mental illness — or afraid to even see a show that confronts it,” she says. “To them, I say: Come. See it. You may not leave with fear. You might leave with a heart that’s just a little bit bigger.”
Indeed, Kriegel aspires for the play to spark conversation long after audiences leave the theater. “I want people talking about it in the lobby, on the train ride home, at their dinner tables. If even one person leaves feeling more willing to talk openly about mental health, that would mean a lot to us.”
Cracked Open also fits neatly into Kriegel’s broader artistic mission: amplifying unheard voices. From her critically acclaimed musical Sweetee to her contributions to the international docudrama Seven, Kriegel has long centered stories overlooked by mainstream narratives. “I think that’s what I’m here for,” she says simply. “To write about the people no one else is writing about.”
It has not always been the most lucrative path. Early in her career, Kriegel turned down a highly paid offer to write for a popular soap opera. “It felt like writing in a language I didn’t understand,” she jokes. “I realized then I had to stick with what compels me: the hard, human stories.”
At Dream Big World Theatre, the producing company behind Cracked Open, championing socially resonant storytelling, is the mission. “We aim to produce works that inspire conversation and change,” says producer Barry Mallin. “Cracked Open **aligns perfectly with that vision*.”
For tickets and more information, visit crackedopentheplay.com.
Performances run Tuesday through Saturday at 7:00 PM, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 PM at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street, New York, NY. Tickets range from $42 to $94.
Because sometimes, the cracks aren’t where the light gets in — they’re where the love shines through.
Published by Jeremy S.
