Picture this: You are sitting in The Gladstone with your father watching a play about the early history of the vibrator. Do you: a) feel awkward; b) laugh at the unusual situation; or c) become captivated by the delightful show in front of you.
After viewing the very funny and intriguing production of In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), I can report that, yes, a play about vibrators can be great theatre, as well as being a fun evening out with a parent.
Written by U.S.-born playwright Sarah Ruhl, In the Next Room is set around the 1880s in a town outside of New York City. The play, which received three Tony award nominations in 2010, focuses on the medical practice of Dr. Givings, played by David Whiteley, who uses an electrical vibrator to treat women for “hysteria”. (Science and electricity are recurring themes as the story is set during the dawn of electricity).
At the opening of the play, Dr. Givings begins treatment on a woman named Sabrina Daldry, played by Ottawa-native Sarah Finn, who complains of being too sensitive to light and cold, as well as being unable to play her beloved piano. In reality, Mr. Daldry is sexually frustrated with her husband, played by David Frisch, and is delighted when she starts experiencing orgasms with the electrical machine. The vibrating sessions are administered by Dr. Givings and her assistant Annie, played by Ottawa Theatre School graduate Michelle LeBlanc.
Dr. Givings wife Catherine, meanwhile, can’t help but notice all the moaning in her husband’s office, and soon discovers the pleasure of the electrical machine herself. Unlike Mrs. Daldry, however, who is happy to reach climax in the doctor’s office and then return to a boring home life, Mrs. Givings demands more passion from life in general, and her husband in particular.
In her quest for joie de vivre, Mrs. Givings, who is played by Sascha Cole, falls in love “a little” with a painter named Leo Irving, who is one of her husbands rare male patients. Played by Robin Toller, who attended Canterbury High School’s drama program before moving to the United Kingdom to study at the The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, the artistic Leo captivates Mrs. Givings with tales of Italy, love and beauty. As a new born mother, Mrs. Givings also struggles with motherhood and breastfeeding, with the latter issue leading her to hire a wet nurse named Elizabeth, played by Ottawa Theatre School graduate Dilys Ayafor.
While the plays’s subject matter may raise some eyebrows, the show is performed in a completely tasteful, albeit hilarious, fashion. For me, the characters almost childlike discovery of the vibrator, coupled with genuine tender moments like the beautiful ending, make this production a lot of fun to watch. So if you have a free evening in the next two-and-a half weeks, do yourself a favour and see this show, and don’t be shy about inviting a spouse, family member or friend.
In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) is directed by Bronwyn Steinberg and is playing at The Gladstone at 910 Gladstone Avenue until June 1. Shows take place Tuesday to Saturday (see schedule here), and tickets range from $23 for students to $39 for adult, tax included.
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