Beyond Therapy

Christopher Durang never fails to entertain, amuse, and surprise with his take on issues of the day. In this 1981 play, which ran off-Broadway with Sigourney Weaver in the starring role of Prudence, and then had a later Broadway incarnation with Dianne Wiest in the same role, Durang gently satirizes the tendency of young thirty-somethings to seek therapy as the solution to their problems--even when their therapists have greater problems than they do. Combining his relatively gentle satire of therapy with the perennial search for love and fulfillment by thirty-somethings who are not part of the bar scene or have no appropriate connections to others like themselves, Durang creates a lively and hilarious look at the 1980s, one which still resonates in the present. All the main characters are in therapy, and scenes between them and their therapists are laugh-out-loud funny, the therapists revealing more deep-seated problems than the main characters do. (One therapist barks.) Prudence, in her early thirties, has placed an ad in the personals of the newspaper and is meeting Bruce, the person who responded, in a restaurant for the first time. The meeting is not auspicious, with the potential lovers ultimately infuriating each other. A second meeting, in response to Bruce's blatantly phony personal description, is a bit better, though Bruce naively reveals that he has been living with Bob, his "roommate," for the past year. Prudence and Bruce clearly have some sort of attraction, but when Prudence visits Bruce's apartment (which she finds just like her own--a plus), she also discovers Bob, who is supposed to be visiting his mother. Bob is jealous and possessive, and all the interrelationships are threatened. Ultimately, all the characters meet in a grand finale that brings the themes of love vs. alienation, the need for acceptance, and the desire to be independent into focus and provides some resolution. Bruce is both vulnerable and naïve, a man who inadvertently hurts those who care about him. Prudence is the only voice of sanity here, and though she also has problems, she is the point around whom all the crazy action rotates. Stuart, her therapist, is over-the-top in his jealousy and insecurity, adding color and humor to the psychosocial mix. Charlotte Wallace, Bruce's therapist, is absurd, a wonderful character who is so crazy that all the other characters look normal by comparison. A terrific satiric look at 1980s thirty-something urban society, this play is less black than many of Durang's later plays, a wonderful introduction to the fine sensibilities and offbeat humor of this unique American talent. n Mary Whipple Baby With the Bathwater The Marriage of Bette and Boo Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All for You Laughing Wild and Baby with the Bathwater: Two Plays Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You and the Actor's Nightmare: Two Plays

I hunted down a copy of this play to do a scene from it. I read it from cover to cover in less than 2 hours; I couldn't put it down! The play is very absurd, as the four main characters (a man - who was played by Jon Lithgow of 3rd Rock at one point - a woman, and their respective therapists) are all desperately need of therapy.It's very hard to describe what parts of the play I found humorous, as they are so well written, any rewording or paraphrasing I do would not be doing it justice. If you enjoy absurdity, this play is definitely worth your time and money.

Though I haven't read this entire play, I have done some scene acting with it, and so far have really liked what I've been preforming. I searched this play so I could read the entire thing, but, from the scenes I have read, I've found it to be funny, refreshing, and completely rude and real all at the same time. The writing is fantastic and based on my reading so far, I would recommend it.