In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play

The title of Tony and Pulitzer-prized nominated In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play has a decidedly provocative, racy edge to it.

But Trunk Theatre director Amy DeFelice wants you to know that this intellectual farce is just as much about intimacy and marriage as it is about sexuality.

“It’s about all the things we grapple with in a relationship,” said DeFelice.

Set in 1880s New York, it was a time when modern technological inventions such as electricity were changing the way people lived their lives.

In the Next Room is about a young doctor and his wife. Dr. Givings is delighted with what the marvels of technology can do for his female patients. He’s not sure how vibrators help them, but they keep booking appointments.

The only woman he seems to have trouble with is his wife, a woman who longs for more affection and closeness. She wants the sparks without the electricity.

American award-winning playwright Sarah Ruhl began writing In the Next Room after reading Rachel P. Maines The Technology of Orgasm. It described how 19th century doctors treated women diagnosed with “hysteria” with an intriguing new electrical device.

“Anything that seemed odd was called ‘hysteria.’ Symptoms were varied – nervousness, heart palpitations, irritability, anger. Anything you couldn’t define. It was probably a reaction to the restrictive life they led,” DeFelice said.

While Elizabethans enjoyed a robust, sensual sex life, the Victorians genuinely believed and promoted the concept that women could not possibly be interested in sex, noted DeFelice.

“They undressed in the dark and made it happen quickly.”

The lack of affection and intimacy manifested itself in various emotional and psychological conditions. Doctors, completely ignorant of female sexuality, discovered that providing a manual vaginal massage gave them an orgasm or a paroxysm as it was known.

In one of the play’s scenes, Dr. Givings describes the symptoms as “congestion in your womb.” He goes on to say that “if we can release some of the congestion and invite the juices downward, your health will be restored.”

But as DeFelice explained, the doctor’s found the treatment boring and time-consuming and they invented a machine to speed up the process.

“It’s no accident that the vibrator was the fifth device to electrified for home use.”

The cast contains some of the area’s finest actors – Julien Arnold, Mat Busby, Althea Cunningham, Monica Maddaford, Byron Martin, Caley Suliak and Gianna Vacirca.

“There’s a lot of ideas that get thrown at the audience to think about. It’s an exciting play, and it’s a chance to see a huge play with great costumes and sets and a fantastic cast of characters.”