Review: BECOMING DR. RUTH at Theater J

At last, after eighteen months, I attended my first live performance this week. I was, admittedly, a bit nervous about whether Becoming Dr. Ruth would live up to my hopes for a triumphant return to live theater.

It turns out, I needn't have worried.

Theater J's 2021-2022 season opened with a restaging of the 2018 production starring Naomi Jacobson and directed by Holly Twyford. The show, written by Mark St. Germain, explores the life of Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer, from her childhood as Karola Siegel in 1930s Nazi Germany through her fame as the sex therapist known as "Dr. Ruth." While Dr. Ruth has lived through some momentous historical events, it's the quieter, more personal connections that really shine in the telling of her life story as she prepares to move out of the apartment she shared with her late (third) husband of 36 years. Starting with her early years in Frankfort with her father, mother, and grandmother, Dr. Ruth guides the audience through her experiences as a refugee in Switzerland during the Second World War, her time in Palestine and the founding of Israel, and her journey to the United States. She speaks of the people who mattered in her life, flitting occasionally to the present, but mostly focusing on her family, the relationships she built in each phase in her life, and the people who most had an impact on her. She shares with the audience her fears, her doubts, her heartache, and her struggles, as well as her triumphs and joy, revealing a complex, loving, and resilient woman.

Jacobson's turn as Dr. Ruth is effervescent. She manages to balance the unique blend of insightfulness, humor, and determination that make Dr. Ruth such a fascinating figure. Carrying a one-woman show, especially about such a well-known figure, can be a daunting task, but Jacobson embodies the character with a knowing ease. She portrays an impish grin and giggle, heartbreaking introspection, and irrepressible fortitude with equal ease, and breaks the fourth wall so smoothly that it's easy to forget she's not speaking to you directly. Jacobson's performance feels like a visit with a woman in your synagogue (well, one of the two she belongs to) - it genuinely seems as though you've stopped by, and she's decided to tell you a bit more about her life. She flits around the stage with the ease of someone in their familiar, if cluttered, apartment, occasionally allowing a new find to divert her tale but always coming back around to it. At the same time, when discussing the losses in her life, the dark and difficult moments, Jacobson pulls in the audience. I doubt there was a dry eye when she, as Dr. Ruth, reflected on the unique pain of knowing that her family had not survived the Holocaust, but couldn't fully process it because she had "no dates" - no definitive, solid information about their loss.

It's true that a portion of Jacobson's incredible performance should also be credited to Twyford - based on interviews in the program and the speeches given on opening night, this was a truly collaborative effort. Twyford's eye for detail ensures that each of Jacobson's movements appear natural, but are equally purposeful. Even when she appears to be darting around the stage arbitrarily, each step is precise and connective, and each word and emotion is carefully expressed.

The production design on Becoming Dr. Ruth is equally commendable. Jacobson noted in an interview that a condition of her accepting the role was the production utilize a more abstract set, and Paige Hathaway's striking set easily lives up to that condition. The centerpiece is a series of white boxes, varying in size and stacked a bit haphazardly. The boxes serve multiple purposes - they create a surreal background that allows for Dr. Ruth's story to take center stage, and serve as a projection screen for photos and other memories shared (courtesy of Sarah Tundermann). The boxes also are filled with props (carefully created and selected by Mollie Singer) and small dollhouses, much like the ones Dr. Ruth herself collects, depicting the places that were pivotal throughout her life. The details for each dollhouse were visually stunning (and well-lit, thanks to Colin K. Bills), and also helped anchor each of Dr. Ruth's stories.

As much as I enjoyed the production (and I did), I do have one teeny, tiny piece of criticism: when discussing her time as a sniper for the Haganah and the bombing that injured her, air sirens sound, warning both Dr. Ruth in her tale as well as the audience that a bomb is about to fall. However, even with this clear warning, the sound of the bomb was so loud that it surprised the entire audience; while I'm fine with some immersion, my main issue is that I was so startled and distracted by the reactions of my fellow audience members, it momentarily drew my attention away from Ms. Jacobson's performance. Turning down the sound slightly would hopefully keep the overall intended impact without pulling the audience out of the show. That said, I did otherwise enjoy Kenny Neal's sound design - the integration of music, callers to her radio show, and other sounds of Dr. Ruth's life created an immersive, gratifying performance.

It seems fitting, in many ways, to return to live theater with such an incredible and incredibly well told story of optimism, humor, and resilience. Theater J's season opener is a beautiful, thoughtful biography of a woman who can remind us of the value of intimate, loving relationships and how to keep going through moments of adversity - reminders we can all certainly benefit from right now.

Naomi Jacobson reiterated in her speech at the opening night reception a line she first announced as Dr. Ruth at the start of her performance, "I'm so glad you're here."

So am I.

Theater J's Becoming Dr. Ruth is playing through October 24th. The performance run time is 90 minutes, with no intermission. Trigger warnings for discussions of the Holocaust and child abuse, and loud noises. Tickets are available for in-person performances as well as streaming (access is available for October 11th through 24th) on the Theater J website.

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