Review for The White Chip

August 27, 2026 - September 20, 2026

Marin Theatre Toasts Its 60th Season with The White Chip

Lance Gardner, Executive Artistic Director at Marin Theater, and himself 20 years sober, artfully directs this darkly comic, whistlestop tour of the depraved highlights of one playwright's descent into alcoholism and the people he interacts with, in his many attempts to get dry.

A Whirlwind of Characters, Cocktails and Controlled Chaos

It's quite a feat to hold the stage through such a tightly spiraled trajectory but Ben Clark as Steven, compellingly narrates his descent while Lyndsy Kail and Danny Scheie play multiple supporting roles between them, from teen enabler to cops to parents, to barman and toughened rehab counsellor, with witty athleticism.

The set was stunning, airport themed with emphasis on the bar, and bottles which lit up alluringly at points and played well against the monochrome look.

We All Know an Addict. Maybe We Are One.

Surely we all have one and likely more addicts in our lives. Maybe we've even been addicts ourselves or perhaps we're an active one, maybe we're in denial. Whatever our almost inevitable experience with addiction is, The White Chip's exploration of the repeated relapses and the accompanying destruction and heartbreak caused by an active user is certainly relatable and even offers hope, but no real hard answers. But maybe that's in part because the road to recovery is complex and different for everyone. Through his organizations, The Anti Stigma Project and The Recovery Arts Project, the playwright, Sean Daniels, himself actively works to reduce the stigma of alcoholism, normalize seeking help and to provide awareness and opportunities for people in recovery, especially those in the arts.

One White Chip, Then Another, Then Another…

The eponymous White Chip is given to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) members who haven't drunk for 24 hours, and who express a desire to stop drinking. Steven acquires many. He goes from Mormon child with an embittered mother, and a father who rapidly succumbs to illness, to a teenage drinker to a college binger to an inebriated writer/director in short order. I have to say I admire his remarkable achievement as I'm certainly unable to accomplish anything much while drunk. However, Steven affirms his denial by quipping, “Who would wanna read a story by a sober Hunter S. Thompson?”

Jesus, Attachment Issues and the Search for Redemption

As a former Mormon, Steven resists the pressure to turn to Jesus in last ditch rehab, even though prayer helps, because his religious past played into the problem. So does he find redemption and if so where? That’s for you to discover. Certainly this recounting plays into one quite widely circulated theory that AA pathologizes addiction as a lifelong illness rather than offering rational explanation at the neurochemical level, which, when explained, can sometimes help break the cycle and free the addict for good. Steven's relationship with his mother plays into the theory that the hole that addiction seeks to fill can be closely tied to early attachment bonds. (Oh God, the mother's to blame again)! That apart, this is where I found the story to be strongest. Steven's Mom, who's fighting her own battles, has a key role to play in this story too.

The play received roars of appreciation with lots of laughter from the audience. However, while I was engaged, I felt that the story could have escalated more and that the humor tended to veer a little too far toward pantomime for my tastes, although the audience begged to differ.

I also wish The White Chip had touched on a few more concrete facts. While of course, it's job wasn't to preach, it was broaching a condition which is notoriously hard to recover from, with evolving treatment approaches, and I feel like it missed an opportunity to offer more to those seeking understanding and clarity.

For example, addiction rates are disproportionately higher in those with ADHD, autism and bipolar disorder, especially if these conditions are undiagnosed. And then there's the nature/nurture element too. But contributing factors aside, I've seen an addict with a long family history of alcoholism recover after learning that alcohol, the very thing that alleviated their anxiety and depression, actually exacerbated it. (This is the tenet behind Alan Carr's book, ‘The Easy Way to Control Alcohol’, and as an aside, check out the remarkable reviews on Amazon, it really worked for someone close to me.)

In the end it seems like something bigger than the addict themselves has to bring them back from the compulsion, whether that's God, hard facts, an intervention, someone else’s success, a brush with death, or a mixture of all of them. The fact that the playwright is still here to tell his ultimately touching story proves there’s hope in even the most seemingly hopeless of cases.

If you want to vicariously watch an alcoholic descend, then emerge, from the pit he fell into, with comic effect, then this one’s for you!

ADDITIONAL EVENTS

MON 8/31 • 6:30 PM, Conversation with Costume Designer Callie Floor and Lead Actor Benjamin Clark 

SUN 9/6 • 4:00 PM Mill Valley Library, Post-Show Talkback with Cast, Marin Theatre

WED 9/6 • 6:00 PM Conversation with Artistic Director Lance Gardner and a guest expert (TBA)., Book Passage, Corte Madera

SUN 9/13 • TIME TBA, ‘The Lost Weekend’ Screening with Q&A moderated by Lance Gardner and Josh Costello The Lark Theatre, Larkspur

SUN 9/13 • 4:00 PM Post-Show Talkback with Cast Marin Theatre

THURS 9/17  • 12:00 PM  Pre-show presentation with members of The White Chip creative team. Open-Captioned Performance Marin Theatre Lobby

Review by Hannah Yurke. Photo credits: David Allen.