The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife

The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, by Charles Busch, revolves around Marjorie Taub, a woman on the verge. Deeply mourning the death of her long-time therapist and suffering from wounds mysteriously incurred at the Disney Store, she feels neglected by her husband Ira, a recently retired allergist now focused on his students and setting up a free clinic for homeless allergy sufferers. Her crusty mother, who lives just down the hall of their fashionable Upper West Side apartment, is no comfort, obessed as she is with her own bowel movements. Only the building’s well-educated and well-traveled Iraqi doorman brings Marjorie any comfort or sense of friendship. Into Marjorie’s vortex of fustration miraculously materializes Lee, a long-lost childhood friend from the old Bronx neighborhood. Lee has blossomed into a wordly, devilish sophisticate whose tales of famous friends and lovers are a breath of fresh air for Marjorie, who has lost a sense of her own identity. Lee is just what the doctor ordered: a mix of friendship and Saks with sidesplitting effects. Jeanie K. Forte directs.