In The Next Room, Or The Vibrator Play | Heath Ledger Theatre | til Sun Nov 4 | ★ ★ ★ ★
Electricity shed light on a new frontier of technology in the 19th century, laying the path for revolutionary inventions to aid in domestic and professional life. Playwright Sarah Ruhl explores the origin story of one such revolutionary device in particular in In The Next Room, or The Vibrator Play.
Dr Givings (Stuart Halusz) has become the talk of the town for his radical treatment for ‘Hysteria’ – a common diagnosis for women of the time – in which he administers a vibrator to his patients to ‘relieve tension from the womb’. The audience is invited into the living room of Dr and Catherine Givings (Rebecca Davies), married new parents whose home doubles as a practice for the pioneering doctor and his nurse Annie (Alison Van Reeken).
The set is split between two levels, the opulent lounge where Catherine spends her days, and the next room – where the good doctor administers his treatment, and Catherine is forbidden. The warm inviting colours of the lower floor contrasting with the dingy, utilitarian veneer of the doctor’s clinic.
As the doctor obsesses over his work, Catherine is left alone to learn how to be a mother to her new child. She is particularly concerned about her inability to breastfeed properly, and sets out to find a wet nurse to fatten up her little one. The doctor’s secret world begins to clash with his personal life as Catherine becomes curious about new patient Sabrina Daldrey (Jo Morris), returning daily to receive treatment from Dr Givings.
The play is interspersed with many moments where the doctor is treating patients for their hysteria. The audience seemed to laugh as much as wriggle nervously in their seats, as Morris fully committed to every shuddering reaction to the doctor’s vibrating device, and each time Halusz nonchalantly leaned in to deliver the treatment to his patients, his unfazed expression alone had the audience giggling wildly.
The entire cast were brilliant in each role, and it is particularly impressive that Davis had mere days to rehearse for her leading role due to the original Catherine being injured. Her inquisitive, somewhat-bumbling character is the heart of the story, and brought a sweet contrast to the dark humour of the tale.
As the story unfolds and more worlds collide, the audience catches glimpses into the lives of the characters outside of the Givings family – and there were a few moments where I desperately wanted to know more, particularly an absolutely heart-breaking moment for Annie in the second act. That said, van Reeken was just so charming to watch, maybe I just wanted more Annie on stage.
Director Jeffrey Jay Fowler’s production of In The Next Room is a sharp, funny and shocking exploration of human connection in the electrical age that shines a light on the power of intimacy.
In The Next Room, or The Vibrator Play will be at the State Theatre Centre until Sunday 9th November. Tickets and more information available from BSSTC.com.au
Leigh Andrew Hill
Images:- Philip Gostelow
