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The Unicorn Theatre presents Sarah Ruhl’s In the Next Room or the vibrator play, an exploration of sexuality, science, relationships, and morals. In this production, directed by Sidonie Garret, it took some time for the action to pick up, and once it did the subplots and character relationships came forth in a confusing tumble—but it all lead to a sweet, yet surprising resolution.  

Though set in the 1880s and suffused with a Victorian air, this is a decidedly modern play.  Much of the humor derives from a condescending attitude toward the unique sensibilities of the times. The action takes place in the parlor of Dr. and Mrs. Givings’ home and the adjacent operating study. Mrs. Givings, unable to feed her baby and requiring a wet nurse, is relegated to the sidelines of her primary, expected role: being a mother. This, coupled with her curiosity over her husband’s practice and her association with his patients, sets the tone for the play—a struggle between modernity and the familiar, between fulfilling preordained roles and creating a better understanding of life. 

Cinnamon Schultz was well cast as Mrs. Givings. She was at turns strong and vulnerable, silly in her speech but energetic in spirit. Schultz balanced the emotional struggle of Mrs. Givings, whose role as a mother has been usurped and whose husband spends his time in scientific research, leaving her at loose ends. Her garrulous delivery matched the inconsistencies created for her inquisitive and thoughtful character, forced to play a frivolous social role.

Matthew Rapport portrayed Dr. Givings, a scientist enamored with the possibilities of electricity.  A victim of the times, he does not realize quite the effect his inventions have on his patients and innocently administers treatment with the breeziest of attitudes. Rapport created a character with logic and intellect who is very sympathetic, though oblivious to his wife’s needs.

Heidi Van had a challenging role as Mrs. Daldry, a patient of Dr. Givings suffering from nervous hysteria. She repeatedly underwent Givings’ special treatment and does so with an honest confusion about her body’s reactions. Logan Ernstthal played Mr. Daldry, an imposing figure who is nonetheless just as confused by his wife’s condition and constrained by the era in which he lives.

The supporting characters aid in chipping away at the structure of the Givings and the Daldrys’ Victorian ideals. Dr. Givings’ nurse, Annie (Kelly Main), is an uncommon character for the times: a stoic, unpretentious assistant. Another patient of Dr. Givings, a gentleman-artist named Leo (Chris Roady), challenges Mrs. Givings’ energetic and neglected imagination with his fantastical semi-philosophical descriptions. Finally, Elizabeth (Marion Bailey), the wet nurse, serves to highlight both the shortcomings and the misgivings of the more genteel characters with her modesty, intelligence, and natural understanding.

The elaborate costumes designed by Mary Traylor were beautifully constructed, right down to their underclothes, especially for Mrs. Givings and Mrs. Daldry. The men’s costumes were not as well tailored, an annoying inconsistency. The simpler costumes for Annie and Elizabeth fit the characters: a tightly tailored outfit for the nurse, and a looser, more flowing costume for the wet nurse. The set was co-designed by Gary Mosby and Laura L. Burkhart, and they established a nice juxtaposition between the elegant parlor and the austere medical office. 

Designer Gary Campbell’s props, especially Dr. Givings’s medical apparatus, added a nostalgic believability to the production. David Keihl’s sound design reinforced and heightened the oddness of the frightening procedure. The light design, by SeifAllah Cristobal, maintained a low profile in a play so focused on electricity, yet subtly drew attention to the primary action.

Despite the slow start and the overabundance of Victorian taboos in the second act, the tender ending as Dr. and Mrs. Givings forego the constraints of morality, salvaged the play from its increasingly chaotic pace. Overall, the production had a light-hearted feel, though there are a few tense moments—a good balance, as a heavier treatment could have hampered the inherent innocence of the characters.

REVIEW:
Unicorn Theatre
In the Next Room or the vibrator play
Runs through February 13 (Reviewed January 29)
3828 Main Street, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-531-PLAY or visit www.UnicornTheatre.org

Photo by Cynthia Levin and courtesy of Unicorn Theatre. Top photo: Cinnamon Schultz as Mrs. Givings

By Libby Hanssen

Traditional and New Classical, Theatre Contributor

Libby Hanssen holds degrees from University of Missouri-Kansas City (M.M.) and Ball State University (B.M.) in trombone performance and also studied music education at Indiana University. She has studied trombone with Carl Lenthe, JoDee Davis, John Seidel, John Huntoon and Denis Wick, and music education with Brent Gault, Estelle Jorgensen and Katherine Strand.

While at IU, she taught classes in general music, focusing on listening skills and music fundamentals through practical music usage and exploring new sound constructions. During the course of her studies at UMKC, she performed with many ensembles, including the Conservatory Orchestra and Musica Nova. She has also performed with the Kansas City Puccini Festival, the People's Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City, the New Jazz Order, the Indiana Wind Symphony and the Muncie Symphony Orchestra.

In 2010, she was a fellow (one of 23 journalists selected from across the US) for the seventh annual National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Arts Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera at Columbia University’s Journalism School in New York City.

Most of her free time is spent with her three boys (son, dog and husband) and camera, exploring the many fine aspects of Kansas City living. She enjoys listening to KKFI - Kansas City Community Radio and KCUR - Kansas City's NPR station, visiting Kansas City's fine collection of museums and galleries, and scavenging in thrift and antique stores to add to her collection of toy instruments.

She writes for the joy of words and the process of constructing a story, maintaining the blog Proust Eats a Sandwich (www.prousteatsasandwich.wordpress.com). She is working on her first book: Murray Goes to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.