Laura Benanti and Michael Cerveris lead the cast in this provocative, funny, touching and marvelously entertaining story about a young doctor and his wife set at the dawn of the age of electricity in the 1880s. Back then hysteria was a real diagnosis, and women were commonly treated with electrical stimulating machines to ease their condition! Playwright Sarah Ruhl wondered what exactly doctors were thinking when they used vibrator therapies on their female patients. And what did women think was happening to them? In the Next Room or the vibrator play looks at a young technology-obsessed doctor and the devoted wife who longs to connect with him -- but not electrically.
This comedy about marriage, intimacy and electricity had its world premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
The play marks the Broadway debut for Ruhl, who has won numerous honors, including a MacArthur "Genius" grant. Her other plays include The Clean House (a Pulitzer Prize finalist), Dead Man's Cell Phone, Passion Play, and Eurydice.
User Reviews
Read what our TM Insiders had to say about In the Next Room or the vibrator play!
Review: Such a shame it closed. It was great!bymickiet
I agree with the others: This was a funny, intelligent and thoughtful play about a very strange chapter in American medical history. Great costumes, great acting.
Too bad it closed. What an anti-climax.
Dont be fooled by the sub-text title. This is not a sexy play or one by which most reasonable people would be shocked or offended. It is a funny, thoughtful and interesting play which cleverly shows the mores of the time and delivers a message which may not be too clear but if one thinks about it, it is also relevant today.
The acting and staging are very good as are the period costumes. This may not be a smash hit but it is well worth seeing as a very worthy straight American-written play.
rating: 4 stars · posted on 11/25/2009 at 6:52 PM
Review: Much More than Women's Rightsbysaundersworks
This is the best play on Broadway. As much as I enjoyed, say, God of Carnage, In the Next Room actually is smart and bold and biting and funny. Furthermore, I think its way too dismissive to label this play a womens piece, no matter how respectful. The brilliance of the piece is, were laughing at how archaic and clumsy the practices were in those days until it becomes shockingly clear that although our ideas about vibrators and female sexuality may be more evolved, our ability to understand intimacy as it relates to sex is just as backwards. And the last ten minutes of the play are the best Ive seen in years. This play is amazing on so many different levels.
rating: 5 stars · posted on 11/20/2009 at 1:28 AM
Review: Ludlow Lad -- you're right... but --byerickavanaugh
Of course Broadway should have new American plays. There are far too few of them. But $100 is a lot to pay for a ticket to a play that would have never made it out of rep if it were by a different playwright. Its easier to be adventurous as a ticket-buyer and to be tolerant of misses or near-misses if youre paying $35.
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