From Feb. 16 to 18 and 23 to 25, the McArdle Theatre presented the eyebrow raising, yet quite humorous “Sexual Perversity in Chicago.” It was written by David Mamet in 1974 as a satirical dig at contemporary relationships, sexual behavior and all the oddities that goes with them. “Sexual Perversity in Chicago” won the Obie in 1976 for Best New American Play, with praise for its sharp dialogue. The praise is well deserved, which is exemplified as the play explores the relationships between four individuals over one summer in 1970’s Chicago, the men being Bernie and Danny and the women being Deborah and Joan.
The play focuses on Danny and Deborah’s relationship, with Bernie and Joan giving advice on what they view as the proper relationship over the course of several months. The passage of this time occurs between very brief vignettes, where all of the characters try to deal with the hazards that threaten their relationships all while in the narrative frame of a game show.
The play itself contains a game show called “Score,” complete with an omnipresent scoreboard, light-up applause sign and statue-esque women who move parts of the set around. Displayed on the scoreboard are the names of all the characters as well as their respective scores, all starting at 1000 points. How scoring works is quickly established as Danny and Bernie meet in a bar, where Bernie flaunts a highly fictitious sexual encounter involving World War II dogfighting roleplay. All the while Bernie tells his tale, the scoreboard deducts points till he’s clear into the red. Danny himself is gullible, due partly to his trust in Bernie, costing him points as he discusses women with his friend. In the next scene, Bernie meets Joan in the same bar, only to belligerently try to seduce her in his own point losing manner.
Her introduction into the play is marked by a defiant personality, as she at first ignores his advances before confronting him with his obvious lies to which she is rewarded with points. The following scene introduces Joan’s roommate, Deborah, who passively listens to Joan and her philosophical quandaries over relationships. The play really starts up when Deborah and Danny first meet in the library, where their relationship takes off to a rocky start.
Over the course of the play, the two explore their relationship and the ideas behind it while also being influenced by their friends’ idea of ideal relationships. Overall, “Sexual Perversity in Chicago” was an engaging play filled with comedy and an overarching theme of what makes the ideal relationship. The play’s connection with the fourth wall is not always clear. Bernie sometimes addresses the crowd directly in a diatribe against women’s rights, which conflicts with Joan when she engages dialogue with two members of the audience as school students as though they are part of the play. The fourth wall is broken again when Bernie and Danny are run offstage from the scoreboard as it blows up finally acknowledging that they are on a game show. Nothing about relationships is sacred to the play as it satirically digs at the modern concepts of it all.
