Brookfield’s ‘Beyond Therapy’ Offers

Some Very Funny Performances

By Julie Stern

BROOKFIELD — Christopher Durang is a bit like Neil Simon with the gloves off: darker, edgier and short on the sentimentality.

In Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All he takes revenge on every nun who ever terrified him in grade school. Beyond Therapy, which is being directed by Denise Fitzsimmons for Brookfield Theatre for the Arts, he gets back at psychotherapy with equal relish.

Todd Yocher and Karen Kochies are Bruce and Prudence, a pair of thirty-somethings who meet through the Personals section of a newspaper.

Their first date is less than successful. It is complicated by Bruce’s casual announcement that he is bisexual, and that should they marry and move to Connecticut – which he would like to do – he would like his male lover, Bob, to live in an apartment over the garage.

Stung by the failure of the meeting, Prudence and Bruce repair to their respective therapists for advice. Her shrink, Stuart, is a vain, woman-hating seducer. Bruce’s therapist, Charlotte, is a delightfully addle-pated ninny, who plays with dolls and suffers from word confusion.

It is Charlotte who pushes Bruce to try a new, improved, classified ad. This leads to a second, somewhat more successful date with Prudence, leading to a dinner invitation and more.

Now the problem is Bob. He just isn’t happy with Bruce’s new interest in women. He makes a scene when Prudence comes over for dinner, he calls his mother and has her sing to them, and he threatens suicide.

The only solution Bruce can think of is to recommend Bob see Charlotte for therapy.

Charlotte and Bob go to the restaurant to shoot Bruce and Prudence. They frighten Stuart, who is there to spy on Prudence. Meanwhile Bob falls for Andrew, a waiter fresh from reform school who happens to be another of Charlotte’s patients. Ultimately everyone but Bruce and Prudence go off to a disco together.

Will there be a happy ending in Connecticut? Do therapists sit in the woods?

There were some very funny performances here, especially Alice McMahon as the scatter-brained but supremely confident Charlotte. Glenn Couture was also very good as the aggrieved Bob, and Todd Santa Maria managed to be both whimsical and slightly menacing as Andrew.

(Performances continue Friday and Saturday evenings until July 23.

Contact the theater’s box office for ticket details and reservations at 775-0023.)