The University Players will bring Christopher Durang’s Off-Broadway hit comedy, Beyond Therapy, to campus for three special performances Nov. 6-8. Showings are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6 and 7 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. at the Auditorium in Wieden Hall. All are invited to attend and $5 donations will be accepted at the door.
Beyond Therapy is an off-Broadway contemporary comedy that focuses on two quirky characters deeply into therapy: Bruce and Prudence. Prudence’s macho therapist tells her to be more assertive, while Bruce’s wacky therapist suggests he puts out a personal add to meet women. The two meet and the conflict begins as Prudence tries to deal with Bruce’s male lover, and Bruce tries to figure out how to handle Prudence’s shy nature.
“’Beyond Therapy’ is completely different from the other plays University Players has presented in terms of tone and genre—this is a play that does not take itself seriously, but all the characters are grounded in universal truths,” Darci Faye, University Players President, said. “The playwright, Christopher Durang, actually very cleverly and brilliantly wrote ‘Beyond Therapy’ as a product of its time, which is the early 1980’s. College students who come see the show may not know who every name is that is mentioned in the play, but they will recognize, and maybe be able to relate to, some of the awkward situations these characters find themselves in.”
The show premiered on January 1, 1981 at the Phoenix Theatre in New York, directed by Jerry Zaks. The subject matter handled in this play ranges from mental illness and health to LGBT love and marriage.
Women’s Wear Daily said.the show is: “Filled with off beat laugh lines, wry observations on the contemporary urban psyche and situations that range from farcical to absurd.”
All are encouraged to join the Players for a show that Time magazine says, “Offers the best therapy of all: guaranteed laughter.”
The University Players was re-formed last year and works to provide students—and, in some cases, community thespians as well—with a way to express themselves through various theatre forms, such as plays, musicals, and festivals. To learn more about the University Players, visit the website at http://wp.umpi.edu/universityplayers/ or find its Facebook page by searching for “University Players at UMPI”.
The intended audience for this play is adults, though all are invited to attend. Shows are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6 and 7 at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. at the Auditorium in Wieden Hall. Admission is free, but $5 donations will be accepted at the door.
Faye said the Players hope to welcome many campus and community members to the Nov. 6, 7 and 8 performances of Beyond Therapy. For more information, please contact Faye at darci.faye@maine.edu.
