Girl, Interrupted – 30 May 2026

Girl, Interrupted sent me on a frenetic quest through the Internet trying to figure out the difference between a play with music and a musical because, frankly, Girl, Interrupted has such a fantastic score and the songs are so well integrated into the performance, that it flowed better than some of this year’s musicals. My deep dive left me with the understanding that a play with music, as Girl, Interrupted markets itself to be, does not use music to advance the plot. This gives me pause, as the music in Girl, Interrupted mostly provides emotional context and not tangible plot advancement. And yet, in a story that is so deeply tied to the characters’ mental health, it feels as though their emotions are the plot. Regardless of what you call it, Girl, Interrupted juxtaposes a restrictive outer world of discarded girls society has institutionalized because of their mental health challenges with the rich inner life of these young women and the bonds that they form with each other. In such a world, the emotions expressed in the music take priority over the tangible plot, making the music of Girl, Interrupted hauntingly personal and profoundly meaningful.

Though I admire Girl, Interrupted’s commitment to each patient having her own song and her own moment to be featured, I think placing a primary focus on Susanna (Juliana Canfield), Lisa (King Princess), Grace (Mia Pak), and Polly (Sally Shaw) would have served the show better. Though the music in the show was exceptional, it was also built on similar, repetitive motifs that stopped adding new elements to the conversation when presented by Tori (Gabi Campo) and Daisy (Katherine Reis). Their characters’ impact was primarily defined by the words they spoke more than the substance of their songs. All of these brave young women were portrayed by actresses who brought powerful humanity and dignity to their characters, and did a great job of reinventing them in this medium. Their work enabled the production as a whole focused on the healthy part of each person in a way that was refreshing and affirming. The intimacy was palpable both between characters and within each character.

Lighting design (Heather Gilbert) played a large supporting role. Gilbert beautifully sculpted the space, relying at times on darkness or semi darkness to depict the edges of our consciousness, lending validity to the parts of our minds that we can’t see clearly. Her work was chillingly effective in the space, and a major contributor to why the show resonated so well with its audience. The show was haunting, and felt immediate despite the audience’s knowledge that psychiatric institutions have changed and no longer hold people indefinitely. 

The interruption in Susanna’s life was temporary, but the consequences for Daisy were irreversibly, painfully, permanent. Yet we saw this show through Susanna’s eyes— and what she saw was ultimately, above all, hopeful. Her belief in everybody, not just herself, was one of the most touchingly real elements of this story. Girl, Interrupted has serious subject material, but also shows that resilient people can make it through mental health challenges. The lived experiences this play (with music!) is based on may not be reflective of the mental health industry today, but it is reflective of the fact that people with mental health diagnoses are so much more than those diagnostic codes. As someone who works in mental health during the day, I can say with confidence that this population retains the strength and resilience reflected in Girl, Interrupted lives on, and stories like this one provide hope to many today. Sharing this story adds to the canon of important voices willing to discuss the tough times alongside the glorious ones. Girl, Interrupted is a truly magnificent voice for today’s world, as it reminds us of our collective humanity and that you can never know another person’s story until you have walked a mile in her shoes.

I attended this performance on a press pass from the Public Theater.