Poison ivy can be irritating and bothersome, but how much more so is an itch for a rash that you can't see? Affecting men primarily and associated with a specific time, it has been diagnosed by psychiatrists as a psychological problem with far reaching implications.
In 1952 George Axelrod wrote a play, a comedy, about this male centric malady, "The Seven Year Itch," and the Ivoryotn Playhouse is having a hoot producing it until Sunday, November 17. The title refers to the deed, desire and inclination of a happily married man to seek a new green pasture for sexual grazing as he celebrates seven years of monogamy.
For Richard Sherman, an eager and experiment prone David Conaway, when his lovely wife Helen (Emma O'Donnell) and son (Carson Waldron) go off to the beach for the summer, the opportunity to stray presents itself in multiple situations. He imagines scenarios where his stenographer (Carolyn Cumming), a foreign exchange student (Caitlin McInerney) and even his wife's best friend (Elizabeth Talbot) are making sexual advances to him. How long can a man resist temptation?
His fantasies and his fears, his desires and his flings with danger, merge when the upstairs neighbor, a gorgeous Holly Holcomb, presents herself at his front door. What is a man to do?
One thing Richard does is appeal to a client, Dr. Brubaker (John Little), whose book hs is editing for his publishing house. In a personal quandry, Richard asks the good doctor for a little friendly free advice as he grapples with the age old question should he or shouldn't he cheat on the woman he loves?
Set in Gramercy Park in New York City in the 1950's, in a well appointed apartment created by Daniel Nischan, "The Seven Year Itch" takes the audience into Richard Sherman's head as he day-dreams about his sexy upstairs neighbor and the realization that he has the power to make all those fantasies come true. Meanwhile his wife is having a few fantasies of her own with an old friend Tom (Jason Nayllor), guaranteed to make Richard jealous. Lawrence Thelen directs this farce in the land of fun.
For tickets ($40, senior $35, students $20, children $15), call Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street, Ivoryton at 860-767-7318 or online at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org. Performances are Wednesday at 2 p.m.and 7:30 p.m, Thursday at 7:30 p.m, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Remember the movie with Marilyn Monroe in a flimsy white dress standing over a subway grate? In the play, remember the dress and forget the subway.
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