If you cough near a hypochondriac, they will ask for a doctor. I believe that’s the title of the adult sequel to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Everybody knows someone who’s perpetually sick. A telltale sign is their need to one-up stories of sickness. You had pneumonia? They’ve had it twice in the past six months. You’ve had knee surgery? They’re quite certain they’re walking around on a broken femur. The flip side of this psychological dilemma is the skeptic who refuses to visit doctors. Take Robert, the main character in Art and Science, for example. Even after he has suffered a paralyzing stroke, his status as a Christian Scientist would be in jeopardy should he rush to the emergency room. When a former student arrives for a visit, he grows concerned with the state of Robert’s health and tries to coax him to the hospital. What unravels is a play about the conflicts of art, science and the crippling realities of old age. See the play in Frank’s Place at the Kalita Humphreys Theater (3636 Turtle Creek Blvd.) at 8 p.m. Friday or in another performance through June 15. Tickets are $18 and available at uptownplayers.org.
Fridays, Saturdays, 7:45 p.m.; Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Starts: May 30. Continues through June 15, 2014