‘Beyond Therapy’: rather therapeutic for the grim

By Monica Kreber
kreberm@mytjnow.com

When I first heard of the play “Beyond Therapy,” I was skeptical; I saw the names “Bruce”  “Prudence” and immediately thought the play was going to be about an elderly couple in the early 1900s.

I loosened up when Bruce commented on Prudence’s breasts upon meeting her for the first time.

“Beyond Therapy” was amusing. It was unpredictable. It was awkward.

The play involved two individuals, unlucky with finding love, and try to find help through two eccentric/unprofessional therapists.

It was a student-produced play, directed by senior theatre major Melissa Frierson, and the cast has been working since the beginning of the semester.

Truth be told, I did not think I was going to like “Beyond Therapy” – the title of the play seemed puzzling enough. I thought I was going to go and watch a mind-boggling psychological production that was going to leave me with a lot of questions by the play’s end.

It is definitely psychological; there are plenty of emotional situations that focus on bi- and homosexuality, and both therapists have “issues” of their own. However, the play was worth seeing; it was funny and entertaining.

Bruce and Prudence, played by Joseph Fry and Abby Olson respectively, were both humorous characters (especially whenever Bruce started crying), but my favorite batch of characters had to be the therapists – particularly the neurotic, overly-optimistic Charlotte (played by Mary Shockley). I loved the way Charlotte’s smile froze on her face as she waited for her “patients” to start speaking. I still cannot believe I heard her practically yell “penis” during one of her trying-to-think-of-the-right-word tirades (honestly, if she were a real therapist, I would go see her just because she was funny). 

The other therapist, Stuart, played by Erik Brower, was a self-absorbed, unethical shrink who, as a running joke, apparently ejaculated too quickly with his lovers. He and Charlotte took the cake on the humor side of the play, but in terms of seriousness I think the love triangle between Bruce, Prudence and Bob (played by Jed Cockerill) was complicated and slightly uncomfortable: Bruce, “the bisexual,” wanted a traditional marriage with Prudence, but still wanted the right to mess around with his male lover Bob. Prudence was understandably confused and frustrated with the situation, but I think the audience was even more confused – when would this situation ever be okay in real life? Pick one or the other, Bruce.

The settings were accurately simple during the play; the characters rotated between a poorly-attended “restaurant,” their therapists’ offices and Bruce’s living room. This helped shed more light on the emotional states of the characters rather than focus on their surroundings. The audience watched the play at an almost-360-degree point of view in the Johnson Studio Theatre. (While this added a new and interesting twist to watching the play, I have to be honest – it is really hot in that room). 

Overall, good work, Theatre Department.