Review: Synchronicity’s ‘Ambivalence’ is a moving but overwrought exploration of trauma 

I’d wager that playwright Catherine Yu has read The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. Not only because the popular book about trauma spent nearly 300 weeks as a New York Times bestseller but because by the end of Yu’s play, In Spite of My Ambivalence, I felt as if I’d been cleverly bait-and-switched into taking a course on the book. 

World premiering as Synchronicity Theatre’s final production at its longtime home in Midtown through June 28, Yu’s play is packed with lessons on trauma: how it’s manifested, the terminology used to describe the symptoms, therapeutic techniques and most of all — perhaps a little too much — the concept that traumatic memories are stored in the body and must be healed somatically through movement and sensation. 

These lessons are interwoven, some more successfully than others, in Yu’s character drama directed by Lauren Morris, which follows the intersecting lives of five people affected by different forms of trauma.   

Lila, played by the charismatic Michelle Pokopac, is a woman seeking therapy after an assault, which not only traumatized her but poked at old wounds from her abusive childhood. Her therapist (a pristine Terry Henry) is an Oprah-like woman: empowered, eloquent and centered. She has overcome trauma of her own. 

Lila is the college sweetheart of Sunan (Terence Lee). The two haven’t seen each other in years but bump into one another on the street. Their awkward but tender run-in elicits giggles from the audience as we wonder if they will rekindle their lost love. But Sunan is married to another woman.

His wife, Ann (Amelia Fischer), is a former principal ballerina who longs for her glory days of pirouetting and sashaying across stages. She struggles with mental health — particularly after suffering a miscarriage. 

The fifth and final character, Tomas (Patrick Wade), is a charming, flirtatious man with a sexy Balkan accent who meets Lila at a café while trying to hide from a bad blind date. Tomas grew up in war-torn Bosnia and is still haunted by images of corpses while he drinks his morning coffee. Lila cautiously endears herself to Tomas — until later, when his dark side is exposed. 

One-line bursts of comedic relief successfully buoy Ambivalence from sinking too heavy. Fischer is stunning as Ann, particularly when she transcends her sorrow through ballet. And the blossoming friendship between Lila and Ann is a refreshing reminder that perhaps connection is the best way to heal. 

Visually, the play unfolds in three zones on stage. On the left is the therapist’s office; on the right is Ann’s garden; and in the middle is a nondescript table representing other public spaces. To Morris’ credit, the scenes are blocked seamlessly, flowing between zones without pause. Sometimes two scenes take place simultaneously, the dialogue volleying back and forth. This dynamic creates a poetic rhythm — a drumbeat that helps carry the momentum. 

The smart, minimalist set designed by Ming Chen is elevated with moody digital artwork by Milton Cordero, which is projected on rectangular hanging screens above.

Where the play is occasionally irksome is in its thinly-veiled attempts to school the audience on trauma. Sometimes the lessons are deftly disguised, unfolding naturally through the genuine emotional shifts and dialogue of the characters. Occasionally, though, the lessons feel forcefully planted, seemingly for the sole purpose of educating the audience. Yet the moments that feel contrived seem to stem from an overwrought script, not from the acting or direction.

The production is admirable in its gutsy exploration of trauma — in spite of our ambivalence, we do, in fact, heal. Every actor is engrossing and embodied within Morris’ production, and, by the end, each character transforms. 

Where and When 

In Spite of My Ambivalence is at Synchronicity Theatre through June 28. Tickets start at $35. 

1545 Peachtree St. NE. Suite 102.

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Danielle Charbonneau is a former arts and entertainment reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution turned full-time freelancer. She covers a broad range of topics ranging from art, theater and dance to film, travel and events. She holds both a bachelor’s in print journalism and a master’s in specialized journalism in the arts from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California.