Onstage Orgasms, But Little Satisfaction in 'The Vibrator Play'

It’s a pretty-sounding play that ultimately feels slight and a touch too precious. There is a charm in the fact that Ruhl has put one of the most powerful and compelling of human behaviors—the orgasm—on such ample display without making it all seem like a dirty joke. But she seems content to merely tickle the funny bone. For this play to truly work, some good old-fashioned penetration (metaphorically speaking, of course) is desperately required.

In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) at South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa, (714) 708-5555; www.scr.org. Tues.-Fri., 7:45 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 2 & 7:45 p.m. Through Oct. 17. $28-$66.

Henry DiRocco/SCR

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• Sarah Ruhl
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