Reviews

In the Next Room, or the vibrator play by Sarah Ruhl

dkrane's review against another edition

3.0

Ultimately somewhat fluffy (in my mind); most exciting moments are discoveries of real passions and when we see the women characters begin to wake up/gave more agency in this male dominated society. Ending is genuinely touching.

rovwade's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

emparry's review against another edition

This book has some real gems about class, race, and gender (of course). The umbrella line, where Mrs. Givings tells Mr. Dandry that Mr. Givings has always held an umbrella over her so she doesn't know what kind of person she is, is one of my favorite lines in a play of all time. Loved it.

bobaenthusiast's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful

4.75

im obsessed. so much deep longing for connection and also so weird and funny 

liralen's review against another edition

4.0

Well, it's about as saucy as you might expect from the alternate title, and a wonderfully fun read. There's apparently some disagreement over whether vibrators really were first used to treat women for hysteria, but here we see how that might go down. It's a time and place without an understanding of women's pleasure, or women's orgasm; most of the characters cannot conceive of the idea that stimulating a woman's privates might bring sexual pleasure. Meanwhile, the women in the play, whether patient or doctor's wife, have a creeping understanding that they might be missing out...

This must be such fun to stage, and to see on stage.

marshaniemeijer's review against another edition

4.75

so romantic 💗 vibrators bring us all together! 

outcrye's review

emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

misskrislm's review against another edition

4.0

I read this book three years ago, and I love it more now than I did before. It's one of those plays that really makes you think about the nature of something you once took for granted. Topping it all off, there's the bud of feminism peaking its head out of the silent scenes and they are exquisite.

jodyjsperling's review against another edition

3.0

The play has moments of brilliance peppered with sentimentality. I enjoyed the ending, but also felt it lacked a relatable tie.

ruby_marguerite's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25