Much laughter, not enough hand-washing in BareStage’s “In the Next Room”

“Out damned spot!” cried Lady Macbeth fervently in Shakespeare’s popular tragedy. But if you expect to leave BareStage‘s latest production with similar feelings — dirty, and in need of a good cleaning — you’re mistaken.

At the same time, if we are going to go to hell for the locally-conceived “In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play),” can we get a vibrator to-go? You know, for home use? Compliments of Dr. Givings.

The Doctor, a self-described “man of science” played by third-year James Lewis, is one of only seven characters in the play. Written by Sarah Ruhl and originally produced in 2009 at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, “In the Next Room” centers on the Givings family: Doctor and Mrs. Catherine Givings (Addie Clarke), and their newborn daughter, Letitia. Around them are a collection of eccentric, misguided, and often single-minded characters, including the mutually unsatisfied Mr. Daldry and Mrs. Sabrina Daldry (Mike Ghaussy and Rebecca Ferrer), an erratic artist named Leo Irving (Zachary Brown), a mourning wet nurse, Elizabeth (Erendira Di Giuseppe), and a mysterious doctor’s assistant, Annie (Savanah Frisk).

The production, directed by Grace Lynch and produced by Kenny Wang, tells the story of the sexual discovery of its main female characters, Catherine and Sabrina, as they navigate the stigmas surrounding female sexuality as they existed at the dawn of electricity.

Fittingly for a play focused on women, the four actresses soundly relayed all the play’s messages. Clarke capitalized on her character’s rambling tendencies without hesitation, delivering some of the evening’s most memorable quotes, particularly in the first act. Frisk, who we’d seen perform a similar supporting role in “The Tempest,” showed an enormous amount of emotional restraint in her character, which frankly, made Annie the most intriguing character of them all. Ferrer and Di Giuseppe didn’t miss a beat either, with the latter putting on a fantastic debut BareStage performance as the wise, no-nonsense help.

Catherine’s liveliness is met at the start of the second act, when we are introduced to Leo Irving. Brown is a real gem during this act. The eccentric painter (“hysteria is rare in a man,” says Dr. Givings) disrupts the course of Catherine and Elizabeth’s domestic life, so far as to instill an unfamiliar jealously in the otherwise clinical Dr. Givings. Things really heat up after intermission when Mr. Daldry returns and proves himself a slightly greasy personality with impeccably awful timing. Throughout the play, Brown, Lewis, and Ghaussy carry the bulk of comic relief, and are required to act incredibly gauche, a responsibility they met with endearing enthusiasm.

Also commendable in BareStage’s production was the set design (Amy Clark and Riley Bathauer) and costuming (Gaby Malave). “In the Next Room” calls for the stage to be divided by a wall and a door, separating the Doctor’s “operating theatre” and the Givings’ parlor. Ferrer is given several moments to shine on a live upright piano, a neat musical element that added dimension to the play. We also must give a shout out to lighting (Dylan Feldman, Kyle Cameron) and sound (Tara Baghdassarian), departments that neatly timed spotlighting and sound effects with onstage light switching and door opening. The period costuming was downright distracting — though in a good way — with many of the characters changing outfits throughout the play (we couldn’t decide whether it was Clarke or Brown who got the best outfits in the house).

Despite a few slightly stilted transitions (at moments, the door between rooms seemed to cause a complete change of character for those passing through it), “In the Next Room” won its crowd over with its humorous, fast-paced banter, colorful personalities and still relatable themes. And so BareStage Productions strikes again, in a move that will no doubt make you shake, hysterically, with laughter and empathy.

At the end of the night, we were left with a just single concern: The Doctor really ought to sterilize those instruments between uses.

In the Next Room will be playing from March 6 through March 15, at 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays, with a 5pm matinee on Sundays in the basement of the Cesar E. Chavez Center.

 

Image source: Lorenz Angelo