Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended
"...Director Aaron Posner elicits appealing portrayals from his cast, especially deBuys, whose dewy determination gives Catherine a formidable spine. Somehow, though, the performances don't gel into a compelling whole, perhaps because Ruhl has come up only with a static premise."
DCist - Recommended
"...Ruhl doesn't just poke fun, though. She's genuinely concerned for the unfulfilled lives of these characters, the emotional deadness of the era. Amid the laughs, there are epiphanies aplenty, some happy, some not so much. Not everyone gets out of this play with their problems solved and their hearts and minds opened, which tempers a magical, hopeful ending with just the right measure of tragedy."
MetroWeekly - Somewhat Recommended
"...Besides, is writing about climaxing women (and a man) really that courageous if there is barely an insight attached? By the end of The Vibrator Play we are meant to believe that Katherine and Dr. Givings can, with a bit of vibrator-induced frustration and the mere suggestion of an unorthodox romp, ignite a passionate marital love -- but how on earth did they get there? Each has been presented in a perpetual state of reaction -- we have learned precious little of their inner lives, let alone their sexuality. Dampen the raucous howling and all we're left with is the theatrical equivalent of the proverbial blue balls."
WeLoveDC - Recommended
"...Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s 2010-2011 season is titled “A Striptease for Your Subconscious” – and if the first play out of the gate is any indication, this is going to be one wild ride. In the Next Room, or the vibrator play explores this acutely private dance between the physical and the sexual, between control and release. Yes, it’s a play about a male scientist/physician using a primitive vibrator on his female patients (and one male) to bring them to orgasm in order to restore the bloom in their cheeks, and yes there are several scenes depicting this, but there’s a lot more going on. Playwright Sarah Ruhl dances on the edge of fairy tale, weaving the mythology of feminine awakening with just enough sweetness to win over any prudish audience member. The final moment of reveal and revelation might still shock some, but its daringness is rather beautiful."
Talkin Broadway - Highly Recommended
"...Posner has brought together an ensemble that hits every note, from the kaleidoscopic comic scenes depicted by Gilbert to the stodgy cluelessness of her husband (James Konicek), the emotional outbursts of a rare male patient (Cody Nickell), and the unflappability of the doctor's assistant (Sarah Marshall) who has secrets of her own."
Washington City Paper - Recommended
"...Kimberly Gilbert puts her impeccable timing and her sharply calibrated physical-comedy instincts to ideal use as Mrs. Daldry, the patient whose initial complaints yield rapidly to an ill-masked enthusiasm for repeat treatments. And Sarah Marshall, playing the diligent midwife Annie, gets an oceanic laugh with little more than a reach beneath a sheet and an expression that melts from the workaday to the faraway."
Washington Life - Recommended
"...On the cutting-edge of 1880s science and technology, Dr. Givings begins using a new electrical massaging instrument to help relieve his female patients from symptoms of hysteria with hilarious and unintended results. This witty, insightful play raises questions about the true meaning of love, intimacy and fulfillment."
Washingtonian - Highly Recommended
"...It’s too easy to see Sarah Ruhl’s newest play, In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play, as just an opportunity to snigger—it’s not every day that sex toys play such a significant role on the Washington stage. But amid the bawdy jokes and the double entendres is a brilliant, funny, tragic play that raises profound questions about male-female relationships, all viewed through the prism of buttoned-up Victorian sexual dysfunction. Buoyed by a fearless, spirited cast, Aaron Posner’s production at Woolly Mammoth Theatre is almost as stimulating as the electrical currents it draws so much humor from."
Washington Blade - Highly Recommended
"...Superbly staged by Aaron Posner, the production is exceedingly well-acted and designed: Helen Q. Huang’s stylish ladies’ costumes feature fashionable bustles, constricting corsets and long, straight skirts. Daniel Conway’s terrifically clever set is inspired by a Victorian operating theater."
The Georgetowner - Highly Recommended
"...At Woolly, they’ve assembled a terrific cast. None are better than Katie DeBuys as the hungry, seeking, bewitching and wanting to be bewitched Mrs. Givings, around whom everything swirls like a hurricane. She’s sharp, quick, touched to the quick, quirky, seductive, eager, angry, and totally worthy. Kimberly Gilbert as the game Mrs. Daldry adds another touching comedic role to her Woolly repertoire. It’s sometimes a mystery how Gilbert does it — she seems the best kind of actress, performing as if she doesn’t realize she’s in a play."
District Beat - Recommended
"...When you go to a play called The Vibrator Play you know you’re going to have a lot to talk about afterwards. There’s really no way a play about the invention of the vibrator isn’t going to spark some intriguing dialogue. And Woolly Mammoth’s new production of Sarah Ruhl’s hot new play (fresh off its 2009 run at the Lincoln Center in New York) does just this. In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play leaves you talking about enlightenment and science and (of course) sexuality. It inspires some fascinating conversations, and I think this, more than anything, is the best part of the play."
DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended
Too bad you can’t smoke in theaters anymore. After a few hours witnessing the climactic goings-on in Woolly Mammoth’s superb production of Sarah Ruhl’s In the Next Room or the vibrator play, a post-coital cigarette is definitely in order.
