With baseball season in full swing, Milwaukee’s Boulevard Theatre hits a home run with its production of Kate Fodor’s comedy, Rx. The play has got a bit of romance, a hint of suspense and -- most surprisingly, some hard-hitting humor aimed at big pharmaceutical companies.
Rx, one of several plays written by Kate Fodor, got its Off-Broadway debut at Primary Stages in 2012. Fodor is a 2013 Guggenheim Fellow and is the resident playwright at New Dramatists in New York.
The tale begins as Schmidt Pharma is conducting a clinical trial for its newest wonder drug. If it proves effective, the drug promises to cure workplace depression. Meena (Ericka Wade) clearly exhibits the malady and is desperate to be accepted to the trial. A published poet, Meena must pay the bills by working as the managing editor of a pig and cattle farming magazine. She complains about her crummy boss (Tom Dillon). He has committed his future to this effort and expects no less from his employees. When Meena is interviewed by doctor/researcher Phil Gray (Jason Will), she admits to leaving work during the day for a good cry in the lady’s underwear section at a nearby department store. As she looks at the large-size white panties, she claims that it makes her feel better. “It doesn’t feel so bad when I’m surrounded by grandmas.” Later, Meena is found in the underwear department by one of these grannies. Frances (Joan End), a lonely widow, wonders why Meena is so upset. As Meena recounts her story, Frances is forced to take a look at her own, empty life. End is a natural in this role, and she shines during her few brief scenes. As Rx continues, trouble is brewing at Schmidt Pharma. Legal logistics and a possible conflict of interest threaten to delay the workplace depression study. This, in turn, may give a competing pharmaceutical company the upper hand. The news is delivered by Alison, a company administrator (and Dr. Gray’s boss). As Alison, Marilyn White gives her character all the gusto it deserves. The petite and wiry actor is clearly consumed by the commitments of her job. She even admits to getting a sort of “high” from meeting work deadlines, etc.
During their regular office visits every two weeks, Dr. Phil Gray (Jason Will) and Meena gradually become romantic. Eventually, they wind up in bed. Their romance blooms until Meena learns that the study is going to be discontinued. By this time, Meena is convinced that the medicine is working. She has grown to like her job and, more importantly, her formerly annoying boss. Meena’s threat to bring in lawyers results in a huge settlement from Schmidt Pharma. Ironically, she can now quit her job and write poetry, if she wishes.
Director Mark Bucher keeps this balancing act sublimely aloft. He intertwines the play’s comical moments with some of the more serious indictments of the pharmaceutical industry. The exception is one scene in which a marketer (Jaime Jastrab, in one of two roles) pitches his ad campaign. Unlike the rest of the play, this scene is less than it could be. Perhaps Dr. Gray’s indifferent reaction to Jastrab’s marketing effort is contagious? In most cases, Fodor’s snappy writing keeps the laughter going throughout the show’s 90-minutes.
The church basement in which the play is performed works better than one would imagine. It creates a cozy environment for a handful of actors and a few key props.
