Making Shrinks Feel Small : ‘70s Satire ‘Beyond Therapy’ Still Relevant, Humorous

Psychiatrists are fun to bash. Maybe not as much fun as lawyers, politicians and, eh, journalists, but they’re not bad.

Christopher Durang knows a big target when he sees one. In “Beyond Therapy,” the playwright known for his acid-bath comedies puts his sights on the mental health business and then starts firing away.

The satire, now in a frantic, mostly funny production at Stages, may have been written in the ‘70s, but penny-ante psychology continues to turn up everywhere, from the expose-all daytime talk shows to the self-help bookshelves. “Beyond Therapy” points a damning finger at folks who live for the quick fix and the lousy shrinks eager to provide it.

At the play’s start, we meet Bruce (David Morgan) and Prudence (Trish Benson), a pair in their 30s looking for love and, more important, healthy psyches. With these two, the challenge is great.

Bruce, a jumpy, totally insecure type, thinks it’s about time he explored sex with a woman. He hooks up with Prudence through the personals and proudly announces to her during lunch that he’s bisexual, which doesn’t go over well. Just wait until she meets Bruce’s live-in lover, Bob (Mark Hendrickson).

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Prudence seems more stable than Bruce, but her cool facade cracks in no time. It turns out she’s been having an affair with her manipulative, over-sexed creep of a therapist, Dr. Framingham (David Amitin), and can’t commit to anything higher on the food chain than her cats. Bruce and Prudence plunge ahead in their relationship anyway.

Bruce has a shrink, too, and she’s a beaut. Dr. Wallace (Holly Jeanne) can’t remember case histories, forgets the simplest of words (“patients” become “porpoises”) and insists that Bruce act out his impulses, no matter the consequences. Dr. Wallace is more screwed up than Prudence and Bruce combined.

Durang has the most fun with the two psychiatrists, and so does director Adam Clark. “Beyond Therapy” feels overly familiar in the scenes showing Prudence and Bruce’s love struggle, but everything picks up when Wallace and Framingham enter the picture.

Amitin’s Framingham is especially amusing. He’s a true cad, and Amitin, with his bad toupee, expanding waistline and tortured accent, makes him comically despicable. Jeanne’s Wallace is over-the-top, but we certainly get to see just how crazy she is.

Morgan brings an intensity to Bruce that is at times more annoying than kicky, and Benson’s Prudence is hard to figure out. Durang doesn’t do much explaining with her, and Benson leaves the gaps unfilled.

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* “Beyond Therapy,” Stages, 1188 N. Fountain Way, Suites E and F, Anaheim. Friday through Sunday, 8 p.m.. Ends Oct. 12. $10. (714) 630-3059. Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes.

David Morgan: Bruce

Trish Benson: Prudence

Mark Hendrickson: Bob

Holly Jeanne: Dr. Wallace

David Amitin: Dr. Framingham

David Campos: Andrew

A Stages production of Christopher Durang’s comedy. Directed by Adam Clark. Set design: Mitch Faris and Jon Gaw. Lighting: Ken Jaedicke. Sound: Barney Evans. Costumes: Amber Jackson.