Review: SBCC Reveals the Mysteries IN THE NEXT ROOM

There's a mysterious buzzing, and the sound of something that might be pleasure, might be perturbation, coming from the next room. Catherine Givings is a model Victorian-era wife who minds her place in her marriage to Dr. Givings, but life in the living room can be frustrating when there's something cryptic--whether it be the animalistic sounds coming from her husband's office, or the quiet satisfaction of a baby being fed by the wet nurse in the nursery--happening behind closed doors. While In The Next Room, by Sarah Ruhl, explores how the mass availability of technology paves the way for social change, at its core, The Vibrator Play is about the personal details of characters' private desires; and how the availability of electricity changes the Givings' lifestyle in every room--from the physician's office to the living room to the bedroom.

In the Next Room is clever, though the dialogue has a tendency toward distracting verbosity, and it's a good fit for the SBCC Theatre Group. While one of the play's titles (The Vibrator Play) alludes to sexual themes, it's actually the desexualization of the vibrator, which is used in the play's context as a medical tool rather than an object for erotic play, that gives In The Next Room a modern sensibility. Lewdness is limited since even the most slight of titillations are enough to flush the proper Victorian ladies to giddy embarrassment, and the proper Victorian gentlemen to stuttering apology.

The women, Mrs. Daldry (Addison Clarke) and Mrs. Givings (Ellen Humphreys), are content in their marriages, but the sexual aspects of their relationships are dissatisfying, in Mrs. Daldry's case, or utilitarian, in Catherine Givings' case. Catherine's husband, Dr. Givings (Joshua Daniel Hershfield), is a physician who specializes in treating patients (almost exclusively women, e.g., Mrs. Daldry) who suffer from "hysteria." Symptomized by melancholic or listless distemper, and believed to be caused by a fluid imbalance in the womb, treatment for this early classification of depression involved a state-of-the-art medical procedure in which pressure via vibrating wand is used to bring women to "paroxysm," which theoretically re-balances bodily fluids. Mrs. Daldry's enjoyment of the treatment intensifies Catherine's curiosity regarding her husband's work, especially since he refuses to "experiment" by using the machine on her. While he's out, Catherine picks the lock on Dr. Givings' office and convinces Mrs. Daldry to show her how the machine works.

The women are fascinated by the paroxysm they experience, but don't make the connection between the climax produced by the machine and the potential of their sex lives until the wet nurse (Danah Williams) informs them that the same result is achievable during intercourse. This idea is met with great amusement by the wives, but it's an important turning point for Catherine: while Mrs. Daldry is content in her loveless marriage, Catherine pushes for a higher level of intimacy with her husband. Despite his scientific objectivity and general discomfort with pairing desire and sex, Catherine doesn't relent in her quest to inspire passion in him so they can share a mutually pleasurable sexual relationship.

The Vibrator Play is one of the more compelling of the SBCC Theatre Group's Victorian living room plays. Set design is consistently a strong point in SBCC's shows, but it's most effective when set designer Patricia Frank's work can be applied to productions that actually use Victorian culture to make a point. In The Next Room offers cogent commentary on the evolution (and, in some cases, the lack thereof) of social constructs such as marriage, female sexual pleasure, mental illness, homosexuality, and eroticism and de-eroticism, to name a few. Despite the length of the play, the plot isn't complex--The Vibrator Play is much more concerned with social comparison between Victorian culture and modern culture than it is weaving a complicated narrative.

The point in time at which electricity became commonly available is a handy pinpoint in history from which to examine the ability of technology to modify culture. Compared to the Victorian culture shown on stage, certain aspects of society have evolved, but many of our modern versions of these social constructs are similar to their function over a century ago. Now, as it was then, marriage can be as barren or exhilarating as the partners are willing to make it. The Daldrys are satisfied with basic contractual obligation, so loveless they remain; yet, there is true adoration between the Givings, though rigid Victorian refinement and habitual etiquette make effusive shows of emotion a rarity. Both Humphreys and Hershfield gently push the boundaries of Victorian propriety as characters who want to experience the desire they never thought to consider. The performances are honest, and though the accents are slightly stilted, Humphreys and Hershfield are authentic and sweet in their final valiant attempt at true romance, which delivers a satisfying end to a play about org*sms.

While this premise is fairly mono-directional, The Vibrator Play offers an overabundance of exemplifiers of social evolution (some stronger than others). The idea with the most conviction is the empowerment of women to claim their sexual pleasure rather than yield it to their male counterparts as a selfish or utilitarian act. In that way, Ruhl's Vibrator Play presents important feminist credos, but dresses them in Victorian finery. The Vibrator Play wants the equality of sexual satisfaction to rise from a place of affection rather than demand.

While Ruhl's play is a bit exhaustive in its surfeit of topics, the most important concepts are represented with care and earnestness by director and cast. In the Next Room is socially relevant and enjoyable to watch; rigorous Victorian propriety played against unquenchable human curiosity creates humor throughout the production, but lack of subtlety makes this humor inconsistent. However, director Rick Mokler handles the piece with a nod to its gloss of campiness while still placing the characters well outside the realm of farce, allowing the universe of the play to exist in grounded emotionality.

In the Next Room is an enjoyable theatrical experience with an encouraging tone. The Vibrator Play highlights the very best aspects of SBCC theatre: impressive, creative set design by Patricia Frank; an enviable array of exquisite bustles, corsets, and parlor-hair wigs (costume design by Pamela Shaw); and a cast of sympathetic, likeable characters who provide clever humor paired with quotidian emotional material. In the Next Room could be improved with a greater employment of nuance in the writing, but lack of subtlety doesn't destroy the watchability of the SBCC Theatre Group's charming production.

The SBCC Theatre Group Presents:

In The Next Room or The Vibrator Play
by Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Rick Mokler

March 4th--19th @ The Garvin Theatre
www.theatergroupsbcc.com

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