The Victorians were known for their delicate sensibilities, especially when it came to sexuality and women’s issues. Women had very little control of their own bodies and were often subjugated to their husbands’ whims. Self-knowledge was certainly not recommended, nor even discussed, let alone an intimacy beyond procreation between husband and wife. But during this time, a doctor discovered an interesting and not-so-delicate method to help alleviate the symptoms of hysteria, in both women and men. Thanks to the dawn of electricity, the vibrator was conceived and put to use in a rather intrusive and intimate way.
In Sarah Ruhl’s story, a sometimes over-analytic Dr. Givings, tickled with the novelty of electricity, uses his machine to help various people with their suffering. His task is medically based, scientifically studied, and purely a prescribed treatment with all the excitement of an out-patient procedure. But to his patients, this treatment is more than just therapeutic.
Meanwhile, his wife, who is wishing for contact and closeness of a more emotional sort, must bear witness to the life and relationship changes of her husband’s patients. This historically based and touching comedy discusses the struggles of intimacy, marriage, and the mysteries of one’s own body.
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