Monday night my friend and I got to see Psycho Therapy at the Cherry Lane theater in West Village. I had heard about it previously and was somewhat interested before, so when the play came back and I had the opportunity to get free tickets I took it.
We decided to have a little picnic on the bench right in front of the theater before the show. My friend had picked up sandwiches and drinks from Bear Burger near her place at the Upper East Side. She had gotten me a panko-breaded chicken sandwich with onions, mushroom, bacon, mayo. It was the best chicken sandwich. I would make the trek there just to have another one.
Then we headed into the Cherry Lane theater lobby waiting area. It was nice and charming, with complimentary desserts of homemade chocolate chip cookies. After we had some of that, we were allowed into the theater which had a realistic set up of a therapist’s office with a white couch, a little table with a tissue box and candles, and a large black hanging on the wall.
Psycho Therapy takes place in Los Angeles, where Lily comes in for couples therapy. However, all is not as it seems and the person who arrives for the first session is not actually Lily’s current beau and fiance, which the therapist doesn’t know. That person is Lily’s hot, young, immature and highly sexual ex boyfriend, Dorian. Next came a scene between Lily and Dorian which gave background to their heated on-again, off-again relationship.
Lily’s fiance, Phillip finally comes into the mix at the next couples therapy, turning the session into couples therapy for three. Things get crazy intense between the characters and at times, quite humorous with the yelling, fighting and revelations.
I enjoyed the acting in this, but thought the plot could be a little stronger.
The characters were interesting: Lily, a model/actress type is beautiful and stylish but really doesn’t know what the hell she wants. Both Dorian and Phillip are good looking blonds but their personalities and what they want from life are miles apart. Then there’s the therapist herself who has a crazy life (or at least crazy friends) and some not so sane tendencies, but when dealing with her patients, appears insightful and together.
The ending is a breath of fresh air, yet exasperating at the same time and effectively turns the tables.
Below, the cast: Phillip (Laurence Lau), Lily (Gabrielle Miller), Nancy (Jan Leslie Harding), Dorian (Alexander Cendese).
Location: Cherry Lane Theater at 38 Commerce St.
Dress, Dine & Sparkle 