Review Fix Exclusive: Joey McKneely Talks Relapse

June 11, 2022 Patrick Hickey Jr. Theatre 0

Review Fix chats with Relapse director Joey McKneely discusses his newest program, Release.

About Relapse:

Book & Lyrics by Justin Giachetti

Music by Louis A. Josephson

This pop/rock original musical examines how we all try to find normality within our neuro-divergencies and the community and isolation mental illness can cause. 

Presentation directed by Joey McKneely

with musical direction by Mark Galinovsky

Event produced by Jay Michaels  

Featuring 

Audree Hedequist, Ryan Hurley, Steven Makropoulos, 

Jacob Ryan Smith, Ava Diane Tyson

and We’ McDonald

June 16 & June 17 @ 6:00 p.m. 

Playwrights Horizons Downtown

440 Lafayette St #4, New York City

across the street from the iconic PUBLIC THEATER

Seating is limited; Please contact Liz Cope at 347-497-4814 or [email protected] for further information or to make a reservation

After an alcoholic relapse at his high school reunion that almost kills him, a young musician is ordered to a behavioral unit to detox and seek help. There, he meets a colorful and complex group of patients who each suffer from the likes of bulimia, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, and more. Together, they navigate a flawed mental health system on their journey of healing and self-acceptance. 

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?  

Joey McKneely: Every project is different depending on the stage I am brought in as a director. For this, it was really unearthing the type of show Justin and Louis were trying to tell. They had solid characters, a dynamic subject matter and some very impressive songs. What the show needed was focus. I think me being objective and an outsider looking at their show really was an eye opening for them. You have to ask the tough questions which forces deep thoughts on the answers. From there, the sparks fly. 

Review Fix: What makes this different or special? 

McKneely: It’s honesty in tackling the subject of mental illness. 

This is not a boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back kind of story. It’s real. It’s powerful. It tells a very compelling story. If anyone has ever been to therapy, dealt with mental illness or addiction or known someone who has, then they will definitely connect with this show. 

Review Fix: What did you learn about yourself through this process? 

McKneely: After being denied theater for over 2+ years (thank you Covid), I learned I must be a theater artist at all cost. It’s who I am. It’s where I live and thrive. It seeps out of my pores with such velocity that I must be apart of it. There is no other choice.  

Review Fix: What are your ultimate goals for this production and for the future?

McKneely: To continue to grow with this show and see it actually realized in a full scale production. Really want to see it in front of an audience. Every night!

Review Fix: What’s next?

McKneely: I’ll be continuing to share my vast experience and knowledge with any musical theater artist that comes before me. I am committed to nurturing the next generation and seeing how I can help lead the evolution. 

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14316 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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