insightful in-depth reviews

cogency
25, Jan 2019
McDaniel onstage at Act II, photo by Bill D'Agostino

Becoming Dr. Ruth

by Steve Cohen
The Cultural Critic

Becoming Dr. Ruth by Mark St. Germain. Through February 17, 2019 at Act II Playhouse, Ambler, PA.
 

I remember a Sunday night in the 1980s. I was driving through North Jersey, listening to a local radio station, when I heard something astounding.

A quavering woman’s voice with a funny accent was talking about sex. This was a phone-in program, but the production values were so primitive that listeners couldn’t hear the callers’ voices. Instead, this lady would relate to us what her callers were saying: “You’re asking for the best way to fuck your pillow?”

I almost lost control of my steering wheel. Keep in mind that this was before Howard Stern went on Sirius. Such language was unheard of on radio. I surmise that the only reason this station didn’t get in trouble was because it was so obscure that the FCC never learned of its existence.

This was Dr. Ruth Westheimer, in the early phase of her now-famous career. Her life story is unfolding now at Act II Playhouse in the one-person play Becoming Dr. Ruth, by Mark St. Germain. It premiered in 2012 and previously ran at the Independence Studio above the Walnut Street Theatre, but this is an entirely new production, directed by Dan O’Neil.

Different actresses have played Dr. Ruth in various cities; this is a legitimate play and not simply a woman doing an impersonation. I cannot imagine anyone doing a better job than Drucie McDaniel as Dr. Ruth. She has the look, the accent, and the charm that made Westheimer illustrious.

We are in Ruth’s Manhattan apartment with a view of the George Washington Bridge through a window. In Meghan Jones’s excellent set, bookshelves abound, and we see mountains of packing boxes. Ruth is on the phone, making arrangements to move across town to a new flat. As she fills the cartons, she recalls memories associated with each object.

Ruth tells her daughter on the phone that she wants a fresh start, and she begins to reminisce about the many changes she’s already made in her life. She recognizes that we in the audience are present, and addresses us as if we are visitors in her home. We learn about her childhood in Germany where, when she was eight years old, she saw the Nazis come and arrest her father.

Because Dr. Ruth has devoted her public life to discussions of sexuality, her personal adventures are not well known. She had to cope with being orphaned by the Holocaust, relocating to Switzerland, France and Israel where she fought in that nation’s war for independence, handling guns and bombs. At the age of 28 she came to the United States where she struggled to assimilate. This challenge has relevance to many audience members, as does her difficulty in applying for jobs and for college admission. Eventually she got a doctorate in education and became a sex therapist.

Her remembrances of her three marriages are surprising, and quite touching.

This is a real an adventure story, and McDaniel’s narration is charming. Michael Long’s projections provide vivid images of scenes from Dr. Ruth’s life.

Express your opinion on this topic