Written by orange• September 24, 2024• 6:10 pm• Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa Playhouse, Review, Theater, Uncategorized

In the Next Room (or the vibrator play) @ Costa Mesa Playhouse – Review

(Photo credit: Kerrin Piché Sern)

Written by Patrick Chavis

In the Next Room (or the vibrator play) is playing now at the Costa Mesa Playhouse from September 13 to October 6, 2024.

This Kathy Paladino-directed production of Sarah Ruhl’s Tony-nominated play, In The Next Room (or the vibrator play), dances well between comedy and drama without snuffing out the heart of this comedic drama centered around the early uses of electric sexual arousal.

In The Next Room (or the vibrator play) is a fictional story centered around a practice in 1800s Victorian-era America that used electronic stimulators similar to but different from what we now call dildos. At the time, doctors believed (among a lot of other crazy stuff) that causing an orgasm was a possible remedy for hysteria, depression, and other mental health issues, especially for women.

From Left: Michelle Pedersen and Mark Coyan (Photo by Kerrin Piché Serna)

Story:

Dr. Givings (Mark Coyan), a proponent of this belief, provides these treatments to various patients he believes could benefit from this therapy. However, Dr. Givings neglects to share the treatment with his wife, Catherine Givings (Michelle Pedersen), a woman aching for a more intimate touch in this sexually repressed period of American life. The play also documents the lives of the ongoing patients and people visiting the doctor’s house/doctor’s office.

This piece is mainly comedic and delivers that in spades. Mark Coyan’s dry but energetic delivery in some of these scenes will have you keeling over in laughter. It also includes a surprisingly deeper dramatic storyline that builds until the end.

Its hilarious first act delivers on the exposition and introduces the characters, but it does not feel forced. A satisfying second act ties up the extra threads in concert with the multiple storylines inside and outside the Givings house.

Set Design:

They accomplished some of these moments using a clever, economical design from Antonio Beach. This design, with multiple sections, layers, and colored lighting, adds so much to the space. As you watch the show unfold, the actors were able to distinguish themselves within each of the various spaces, from the small but lifted doctor’s office to the elegant living room quarters.

Mark Coyan, Brooke Lewis Cruz, Lee Samuel Tanng

Acting/Costume:

Brooke Lewis Cruz plays the primary patient in this play, Sabrina Daldry, the first to experience the treatment, wink, wink. With colorful gowns and unique headpieces from costume designers Tim Phillips and Larry Watts, Cruz’s performance is as electric as the tools they have in that office.