Getting Lots of Buzz

Gloria Steinem said a that "a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle," but we're inclined to think that a woman without a vibrator is just bad policy any way you slice it. Sarah Ruhl's Tony nominated 2009 play, In the Next Room, Or the Vibrator...

By Brentney Hamilton

September 8, 2011

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Gloria Steinem said a that "a woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle," but we're inclined to think that a woman without a vibrator is just bad policy any way you slice it. Sarah Ruhl's Tony nominated 2009 play, In the Next Room, Or the Vibrator Play, suggests the same, whisking viewers to Victorian America when uteri were thought to migrate recalcitrantly, causing in women a range of symptoms from anxiety to headaches and depression. For Ruhl's characters, hysteria is a medically treatable diagnosis requiring the incorporation of "pelvic massage" and a new technology - a massive, pulsating ... well, vibrator mounted on a table top and used for relieving a host of psychological and physical ailments. An ambitious comedy, In the Next Room tackles the complexities of female sexuality through the complicated lenses of repression, racism, class and society. Directed by Jonathon Taylor, The Kitchen Dog Theater kicks off its 21st season with In the Next Room (a finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama), running through October 8, 2011 at The McKinney Avenue Contemporary (The MAC). Tickets range from $10 to $30. Call 214-953-1055 or visit kitchendogtheater.org for more details.
Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sun., Sept. 18, 2 p.m.; Wed., Sept. 21, 8 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 2, 2 p.m.; Wed., Oct. 5, 8 p.m. Starts: Sept. 9. Continues through Oct. 8, 2011

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