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IN THE NEXT ROOM OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY presented by The Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center & the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Department of Drama through Nov. 20. You can read the show description here.
The set. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.
Congratulations to members of the technical team, led by technical director Nick Koehlke*, who were responsible for creating such an impressive environment for this play. This includes a set design by Jennifer M. Rhodus*, lighting design by Gustavo E. Valdes*, and the work of properties artisan Stacey Szczepanik* Also excellent was the wig and makeup design by Suseon Bok* (* indicates CCM student.)
Jared Wilson as Mr. Dalby, Clare Ward as Annie, Mary Malloy as Sabrina Daldry and Kristopher Dean as Dr. Givings. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.
Production values aside, the play itself was…fine. This was the fifth Sarah Ruhl play I’ve attended, and of those, it’s probably my favorite script to date. In this interpretation, it seemed to be staged more as a period drama instead of a comedy/drama that explores contemporary themes by setting the play in “the dawn of the age of electricity; and after the Civil War; circa 1880s.” I found the production to be slowly paced (with a running time approaching three hours), emotionally flat and static in its blocking.
Jared Wilson as Mr. Dalby and Kristopher Dean as Dr. Givings. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.
In a Ruhl play, the voice of the playwright is usually heard strongest in the female lead. Generalized, the lead is likable, intelligent, a bit quirky, stuck in an unhappy situation but determined to pursue opportunities to change it. The audience sympathizes with her and gains satisfaction when those goals are achieved.
Catherine Givings (played by Caroline Shannon) comes off more as a somewhat whiny victim of her unhappiness, drawn to the happiness of others, as opposed to someone who sees the happiness in others as a means to gain knowledge and find her own happiness. Where we should be sympathetic that Dr. Givings abandons his wife every evening to discuss the merits of electricity at the club, part of me thinks, “who would want to sit home and listen to that every night.”
Mary Malloy as Sabrina Daldry and Caroline Shannon as Catherine Givings. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.
Regarding the play being emotionally flat, while I understand the notion of polite society, in this play it should serve as a contrast to what goes on behind closed doors and also to the characterizations of the patients after their “treatments.” Considering that Sabrina Daldry (Mary Malloy) and Leo Irving (Parker Searfoss) are suffering from “hysteria,” I found their pre-treatment personas to talk about their conditions but not actually show outward signs of their conditions. For example, Mr. Daldry (Jared Wilson) is not bringing his wife in for this radical treatment out of concern for her well-being, but instead out of concern for how he is perceived because his wife is unable to mask her condition in polite society (hence having her face covered in public). I want to see the cracks in the facade come through the acting.
Parker Searfoss as Leo Irving and Kristopher Dean as Dr. Givings. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.
Patient Leo Irving is a self-professed painter who has been unable to paint for nine months. Yet in his first meeting with Dr. Givings he is impeccably dressed, not a hair out of place and discusses his condition as if it belonged to someone else. I’m not seeing the burden of his “hysteria.” I did think that after his treatment, Searfoss was successful in his characterization and that Irving’s energy and emotional level was exactly where it needed to be.
Mariel Tompkins as Elizabeth and Parker Searfoss as Leo Irving. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.
I also enjoyed Mariel Tompkins as Elizabeth. She seemed to have a strong sense of the core of her character and maintained that character through the various situations and strange conversations she was a part of.
I honestly wish I could speak more to some of the smaller roles. Unfortunately I found my attention to the second act repeatedly distracted by some of the most ill-mannered theater patrons I have ever had the misfortune of experiencing. These scenes included the kiss between Mrs. Daldry and Annie (Clare Ward), the painting scene with Irving, Elizabeth and Catherine, the unwanted advances of Mr. Daldry to Catherine and the “sensation” discussion of Catherine, Sabrina and Elizabeth.
Caroline Shannon as Catherine Givings and Parker Searfoss as Leo Irving. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.
The final scene with Leo and Catherine is a good example of the static blocking I referred to. These stoic conversations do not make for dynamic theater. Neither does repeatedly watching people slowly dress and undress.
Caroline Shannon as Catherine Givings and Kristopher Dean as Dr. Givings. Photo by Mikki Schaffner.
The final scene, while visually stunning, again falls in the trap of being slow, deliberate and unemotional. Catherine and her husband FINALLY having this emotionally-satisfying love-making in the snow and it’s rather dull.
Overall I wanted more energy and emotion from the actors. The cast has capable performers but the seven individuals didn’t coalesce into a strong ensemble.
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