Stage Review - Becoming Dr. Ruth (Village Theatre)
Stage Review - Becoming Dr. Ruth
Presented By: Village Theatre, Issaquah, WA
Show Run: January 16 - February 18, 2024
Date Reviewed: Saturday, January 20, 2024
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
Depending on your particular age, the monicker Dr. Ruth will likely mean something specific to you, something that may be different from what others remember. Younger folks may only know of the woman born Karola Ruth Siegel through pop culture trivia, or if they have parents who are familiar with her work. People my age, the Generation X set, will know Dr. Ruth as the host of one or more television shows dealing with that taboo and embarrassing topic for a teenager, sex. While these shows weren’t really meant for us necessarily, Dr. Ruth was surely a topic of conversation around the schoolyard. We all knew who she was, and also how controversial, yet popular her shows were. To me personally, though, Dr. Ruth Westheimer (as she came to be known through marriage) was a diminutive, always positive, Sigmund Freud sounding sex therapist who wasn’t afraid to say what she felt, and at the same time never seemed to take herself too seriously. What I didn’t know, though, was anything at all about her backstory. I had no idea what she’d gone through as a child, or for that matter as an adolescent, or a young adult. It turns out, she went through quite a bit, and none of it was easy, which makes it all the more remarkable, in my mind, that she always seemed so positive about life. But there’s a reason for that, too. And to understand that, and everything that makes up the beloved Dr. Ruth, I suggest heading to Village Theatre to see Becoming Dr. Ruth, on stage in Issaquah until February 18, before it moves, like all Village Theatre productions, to the theater’s Everett location.
Becoming Dr. Ruth is directed by Holly Twyford, and features Naomi Jacobson in a reprisal of a role she is very familiar with, having played the good doctor on a few previous occasions. In fact, if there’s anyone better suited to portray this all too real character than Naomi, I don’t think she exists. In fact, the primary creative players, including the star and the director, along with set designer Paige Hathaway are all Washington, DC based and have some experience putting this show together and presenting this detailed, enlightening, and heartfelt story. So good is Naomi in this role that it doesn’t even matter that physically, there’s not a lot of resemblance between the actor and subject. Naomi is much taller than Dr. Ruth, built a bit differently, and dons a wig for the show that ostensibly makes her look more like Westheimer, but it’s generally clear that it’s Naomi there on stage, even with an accent that resembles but is frankly more pleasant than that of the original. But none of that matters. The way that this show is constructed and presented, and the way Naomi spins the tales of Ruth’s memories, it’s clear that the audience certainly feels like it’s Dr. Ruth herself on stage, relating the story of her life.
Mark St. Germain is the playwright of Becoming Dr. Ruth, and the way he’s built the story is excellent, unique, and creative. The setting is Ruth’s apartment where she’s packing up to move out, alternating phone calls with movers and assistants, calls that seem to always gravitate to, well, sex. Suddenly, Naomi’s Dr. Ruth notices the audience, to which begins talking about her impending move. From there, she recounts the story of her life, told through memories, of Ruth’s childhood in Nazi Germany and losing her parents, her life in Switzerland, then after the war into Palestine and later the United States. Naomi insisted when she agreed to take on this role again that the set had to mean something, it couldn’t be “real”, so to that end, Paige Hathaway created something that resembles a stack of moving boxes, those boxes filled with some of the memories that are accessed at various times in the show. Paige’s set is about moving on, while also reflecting back. In addition to its functionality, the set is constructed very well, suitable for climbing and proper storage.
The boxes that make up the set also serve a creative purpose, that is to support Sarah Tundermann’s projection design. Many of Ruth’s memories are photos, and when Ruth picks them up to show the audience, those same photos are reproduced in a larger format using the stack of boxes as a backdrop. Supporting Holly Twyford as well are Colin K. Bills and Kenny Neal, who are responsible for lighting and sound, respectively. And while most of what Naomi portrays in Dr. Ruth’s life she does with a positive bent, like the good doctor has always presented herself, there are some heavy moments in this play. How can there not be, when this woman has gone through so very much in her life? These moments are when the designs from Colin and Kenny come to the fore, and do more than just support the storytelling, but rather they help drive the emotion and the mood in these scenes. Becoming Dr. Ruth is, in general terms, a simply put together show, but when it’s examined, there’s a lot to it beneath the surface, between those creative components, and the number of prop devices that are called upon as memories throughout. All of this is choreographed very well by Director Holly Twyford, and executed to perfection by Naomi Jacobson. It’s clear that this is not their first rodeo.
Becoming Dr. Ruth does exactly what you’d hope a biographical piece would do. Performed wonderfully by Naomi Jacobson as the infamous sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, this play is educational, enlightening, and certainly thought provoking. Audiences attending this production will learn more about the person Dr. Ruth than they knew coming in, but more than that, they’ll learn what drives her positivity and gratefulness, while at the same time receiving some perspective on their own lives.
Becoming Dr. Ruth runs onstage at Village Theatre in Issaquah through February 18 before opening in their Everett location on February 24 and running there through March 17. For more information, including ticket availability and procurement, visit https://villagetheatre.org. Note that this show contains adult themes and may not be suitable for younger audiences.
