Penn Players to head 'Beyond Therapy'

By MELISSA de LEON Looking back at the early '80s may often be melancholic for our generation. Since we were between the ages of eight and 12, our memories consist mostly of Atari games, the making of "Thriller", and Snoopy. These things are essential in understanding ourselves. But it is also interesting to see what that decade did to the then-20-something age group. The play Beyond Therapy, by Chris Durang, is a parody of the impact casual sex had on the dating scene in those days. PennPlayers now brings this fast moving comedy to our campus for all to enjoy. It deals with the demise of unprotected sexual encounters, the issue of sexual identity, and unstable psychiatrists in a confusing era trying to define itself. The stars are two people who travel a twisted road to find stability through a lasting relationship. Dan Bisbee, who directs the six person cast, said he thinks it is important to bring more comedy to the Penn stage. " People don't take comedy seriously enough," he says. He hopes to draw a fair amount of freshmen to be exposed to this facet of extracurricular activities at Penn and hopefully become involved. Bisbee, a College senior, likes to deal with comedy pieces, he said, and this one is a very interesting one to follow. "It's a rhythmic play", he explained. "It is a sharp comedy dependent on the critical timing of the actors to do it any justice." College senior Simone Elliot and College junior Riaz Patel play the two tormented daters who are treated by their "therapists," who in turn are played by Wharton graduate student Ted Leavengood and College sophomore Liz Mitchell. The show is complete with authentic '80s furniture and classic tunes between acts. There is even a cameo appearance by Snoopy. Revisit the golden years through the perspective of our babysitters' older siblings at the Studio Theater in Annenberg Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Tickets are $5, available on Locust Walk.