In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)

In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)
Written by Sarah Ruhl
Date premiered February 5, 2009 (2009-02-05)
Place premiered Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Berkeley, California
Original language English
Genre Comedy
Setting A prosperous spa town outside of New York City. The dawn of the age of electricity, and after the Civil War.

In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) is a play by Sarah Ruhl. It concerns the early history of the vibrator, when doctors used it as a clinical device to bring women to orgasm as treatment for "hysteria." Other themes include Victorian ignorance of female sexual desire, motherhood, breastfeeding, and jealousy.[1] The play was nominated for three 2010 Tony Awards.

Plot summary

In late 19th-century America, Sabrina Daldry and Catherine Givings are sexually frustrated with their husbands, who creep quietly into their beds at night and only use the missionary position, which they endure but do not enjoy. Both are excited to have their first orgasms with the machine. Mrs. Daldry is content to continue having clinical treatments with the machine and suffer lifeless, boring sex with her own husband. "I am afraid there is very little sympathy between us."[2] Catherine Givings wants more. First Mrs. Givings learns from a visiting artist that orgasms detached from love ultimately are unfulfilling and empty, simply surface, without soul, and similar to sex with prostitutes. Then a lower-class wet nurse, Elizabeth, reveals to Catherine that she may be able to enjoy the same sensations from the machine with her husband, with whom she is frustrated because of his clinical detachment, but still ultimately loves. Catherine first inspires jealousy and passion in her husband, then convinces Dr. Givings - who had earlier observed that "what men do not perceive because their intellect prevents them from seeing would fill a book"[1] - to make naked snow angels with her and discovers the woman on top sex position, allowing her at last sexual satisfaction while the curtain lowers.

Staging

The set is divided between two rooms, a parlor and a doctor's office. At the play's climax, the actors step through the imaginary wall dividing the rooms to create the third and final scene, outdoors in the falling snow.

Background

In the Director Presentation Les Waters states the play was inspired by The Technology of Orgasm: Hysteria, the Vibrator, and Women’s Sexual Satisfaction by Rachel P. Maines.[3] Ruhl cites Maines's book, AC/DC: The Savage Tale of the First Standards War (Tom McNichol) and A Social History of Wet Nursing in America (Janet Golden) as books she was reading or which influenced her when she wrote the play.[4]

The play was commissioned by the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, which received an Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award towards the production of the play. Les Waters, associate artistic director said, in part: "This award provides us with the rare luxury of an extended rehearsal period for a new play. Sarah has become one of the country's most important writers, and I'm honored that Berkeley Rep has played a vital role in her career."[5]

Productions

The play premiered at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre on February 5, 2009, running to March 15, 2009, under the direction of Les Waters.[6] The Broadway production, presented by the Lincoln Center Theater, began previews at the Lyceum Theatre on October 22, 2009,[7] officially opened on November 19 and closed on January 10, 2010 after 60 total performances.[8] The cast included Laura Benanti, Michael Cerveris, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Maria Dizzia, Thomas Jay Ryan, Wendy Rich Stetson, and Chandler Williams.[9] This production was nominated for three Tony Awards.

Professional productions

Subsequent professional productions include:

  • In October and November 2010, the play was produced by The Actors Theatre, directed by Matthew Wiener at Herberger Theatre's Stage West in Phoenix, Arizona. The cast starred Francis Jue as Dr. Givings and Angelica Howland as Mrs. Givings.[10][11]
  • In March–April 2011, the play had its Australian premiere by the Sydney Theatre Company, directed by Pamela Rabe in the Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House. The production, starring Jacqueline McKenzie, subsequently transferred to Melbourne Theatre Company, and was nominated for several Green Room Awards, including Best Director (Rabe), Best Female Actor (McKenzie), and Best Production.[12]
  • In July–August 2011, the play was produced by A Contemporary Theater (ACT) in Seattle, Washington, directed by Kurt Beattie.[13]
  • In September–October 2011, the play was produced by the Theatre Workshop of Nantucket (TWN), directed by Anne Breeding, and by the Playmaker's Repertory Company in Chapel Hill, North Carolina,[14] directed by Vivienne Benesch.
  • In late 2011, the play was produced by Plan 9 in Larco Theatre in Lima, Peru, directed by David Carrillo.
  • In March–April 2012, the play was produced by Auckland Theatre Company[15] Auckland, New Zealand, directed by Colin McColl.
  • In June–July 2012, the play was produced by Fortune Theatre,[16] Dunedin, New Zealand, directed by Lara Macgregor.
  • In April–May 2013, the play was produced by the Santa Paula Theater Center, directed by James Castle Stevens.[17]
  • In May 2013, the play was produced by the Colonial Players of Annapolis, Maryland, directed by Carol Youmans
  • From November 2013 to January 2014, a production directed by Laurence Boswell ran in the St. James Theatre, London.[18]
  • In October 2014, the play was produced by the Hobart Repertory Theatre Society, directed by Steven Jones, in Tasmania, Australia.[19]
  • In October 2017, the play was produced at The Timeline Theatre Company in Chicago, directed by Mechelle Moe. The cast included Anish Jethmalani as Dr. Givings, Rochelle Therrien as Catherine Givings, Melissa Canciller as Mrs. Daldry, Joel Ewing as Mr. Daldry, Krystel McNeil as Elizabeth, Dana Tretta as Annie, and Edgar Miguel Sanchez as Leo Irving. Playwright Sarah Ruhl attended the show.

Awards and nominations

The play garnered three 2010 Tony Award nominations:[20][21][22]

The play was nominated for the 2010 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design.[21]

References

  1. 1 2 Hurwitt, Robert (6 February 2009). "Theater review: 'In the Next Room'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  2. ↑ Isherwood, Charles (18 February 2009). "A Quaint Treatment for Women Wronged". New York Times. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  3. ↑ Waters, Les. "Highlights from Les Waters Director Presentation for In the Next Room (January 2009)". Berkeley Rep. Archived from the original on 18 February 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  4. ↑ "Sarah Ruhl: 'A Note from Sarah Ruhl', In The Next Room The Berkeley Rep Magazine , 2008-09, Number 4, p. 23
  5. ↑ Jones, Kenneth. "Berkeley Rep's Premiere of Ruhl's' In the Next Room' Wins Edgerton Award" Playbill, July 28, 2008
  6. ↑ Gold Star: "In the Next Room: World Premiere of Victorian-Era Sex Comedy"
  7. ↑ "Lincoln Center Theatre". Lincoln Center Theatre. 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  8. ↑ Hetrick, Adam. "Ruhl's In the Next Room Will Play Broadway's Lyceum Theatre," playbill.com, July 9, 2009
  9. ↑ Hetrick, Adam. "Benanti and Cerveris to Star in Broadway's In the Next Room (or the vibrator play)" Playbill, July 21, 2009
  10. ↑ "Actors Theatre Opens Season With In the Next Room (Or The Vibrator Play) 10/29-11/4". BroadwayWorld, October 29, 2010
  11. ↑ Lengel, Kerry. "10/29-11/14: In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play)". The Arizona Republic, October 24, 2010
  12. ↑ Recipients of the 2011 Awards, Green Room Awards
  13. ↑ "In the Next Room, or the vibrator play". A Contemporary Theater. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  14. ↑ Jeffrey Rossman. "In the Next Room - Hysterical "Hysteria" at PlayMakers' 2011-12 Opener". CNVC Online Arts Journal. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
  15. ↑ Auckland Theatre Company
  16. ↑ Fortune Theatre
  17. ↑ "In The Next Room (or the Vibrator Play)". Santa Paula Theater Center. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  18. ↑ Mountford, Fiona (22 November 2013). "In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play, St James Theatre - theatre review". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  19. ↑ Jack White. "Hobart Rep presents Tony Award-winning comedy "In the Next Room"". Hobart Repertory Theatre Society. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  20. ↑ "Who's Nominated?". Tony Awards. IBM Corp. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  21. 1 2 " In the Next Room Overview and Awards" Playbill (vault), accessed September 28, 2016
  22. ↑ Gans, Andrew. "64th Annual Tony Awards to Be Presented June 13 at Radio City" Playbill, June 13, 2010
  • In the Next Room at the Internet Broadway Database
  • Various. "In the Next Room Play Handbill". Berkeley Rep. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  • Swan, Rachel. "Dr. Givings' Good Vibrations: Ancient orgasm-inducing technology is the centerpiece of Sarah Ruhl's new play". East Bay Express. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  • "In the Next Room: World Premiere of Victorian-Era Sex Comedy". Gold Star. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  • Lunden, Jeff (21 November 2009). "The Vibrator Play: Why Yes, It Is About Exactly That". Weekend Edition Saturday. National Public Radio. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
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