My husband, Scott, and I showed up at Reno Riverfront Theatre on Friday expecting to see the Truckee Meadows Community College-directed play, Snowing at Delphi, as was listed in the RN&R calendar section and in various press releases. However, there was a change in plays—a change that was never advertised. That’s a shame because the production that TMCC did put on, Psychopathia Sexualis, was quite entertaining, and unfortunately, I think some people might miss it due to the confusion.
The romantic comedy opened with Ellie and Howard, husband and wife, in their living room. Their quick banter immediately suggested that the play was going to revolve around witty dialogue, and it did. As they conversed, the play shifted to a flashback of the previous night and a conversation between Howard, played by Jason Mccutcheon, and his friend Arthur. Arthur, who was skillfully portrayed by George Triplett, had just asked his girlfriend to marry him, and he wanted Howard to be his best man. Howard agreed but soon found out that being a best man comes with responsibilities—like getting to know the true Arthur and his interest (aka fetish) with socks.
Mccutcheon and Triplett interacted well; the dialogue and the physical action flowed effortlessly between them. Arthur was especially entertaining as he convinced Howard to go see his shrink. The “crack pot” psychologist had stolen Arthur’s badly needed socks, and Howard’s help was needed to get them back before the wedding and before his fiancée found out. Howard, who dabbled in psychology, wanted the chance to test himself and was eager to meet with Arthur’s shrink.
Enter Dr. Block (complete with his name spelled out in A-B-C blocks on his desk), played by Brad Martin. Martin brought a lively presence to the stage, as his and Mccutcheon’s characters fought over nonsense about dream interpretations and psychology babble. The discourse got a little tricky here, though, and the script seemed to lose focus, as the playwright tried to surmise the motives and the psyches of all the characters involved.
As the play progressed, we met Arthur’s fiancée, Lucille—a Texan with big cowboy boots, wild hair and a strong attitude. Summer Cruz lit up the character of Lucille with a decent accent and lots of flair. Watching Lucille and Ellie (played by Echo Olsen) confess their men’s secrets was compelling, and the actresses were adept at drawing laughs from the audience. Just like the men, Ellie and Lucille realized they were not as close as they would like to be.
The final scene between Lucille and Dr. Block was energetic, as both actors kept pace with each other’s outrageousness. The crossfire between Cruz and Martin was amusing, even when their characters’ actions and motives were questionable.
Aside from being about argyle socks, Psychopathia Sexualis was about how well people—who would like to think they know their companions—truly understand one another, and more importantly themselves. The actors’ performances were superior and the direction (conducted by Kara Evangeline Earl) was insightful, which made this comedy a delight to watch, even when the language of the play faltered; the lofty, psychoanalytic dialogue sometimes made for awkward transitions and unnatural conversations.
There were a few places when the actors seemed more dramatic than necessary, but I think this was due more to the shortcomings of the script than to the acting itself. Overall, Psychopathia Sexualis was a cute play warranting lots of laughs. Don’t let the lack of advertising or the risqué title stop you from seeing it.