“Massage Therapy” reviewed by Julia W. Rath

***** Featuring terrific acting, outstanding character development, and a smart, tight, and insightful script, “Massage Therapy” is one of the best plays I’ve seen all year! The audience is tricked into believing that we are intruding on private conversations between a masseur and his client, with the dialogue being funny yet serious and very genuine. Under David Zak’s fine direction, this incredibly heartrending drama becomes ultra-real, as we come face to face with two people experiencing painful lives, each in their own way. This is a story that is both sad and joyful, intriguing without being overly deterministic. Many theatregoers should be able to relate to this play, especially those who have suffered from some type of incurable or critical illness or know of loved ones experiencing such trauma.

Gorgeously written (and recently updated) by Joe Godfrey, this is a narrative about two people with very different life paths who happen to meet in the context of a massage therapy office; and over time, they learn that they are more alike than different. In a standout performance, Mary Anne Bowman plays Jean, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She has searched on the web and has found a professional establishment that does massage, in the hope that her pain after chemotherapy could be relieved. We witness Jean’s suffering during the course of the show; she has a brief remission from her cancer, but then it returns. She has a husband and a son; and as the play goes on, we learn more about her family life. At the same time, we watch Michael, the masseur (Raymond Nicholas), slowly open up about his personal life: how he wanted to pursue literature, music, and the arts but needed to make a living and therefore went into massage work. He is gay and has yet to become committed to a meaningful relationship. But he also suffers from HIV, the virus that causes AIDS; and while his illness can be staved away for the moment, he (like Jean) must confront his own mortality.

As Jean and Michael’s professional relationship continues, this morphs into a close friendship between them. Part of the reason is that they are going through their own personal tragedies; the other reason is that they can be blatantly honest with each other: about their needs, wants, goals, desires, and feelings. Their intimacy, never overtly sexual, is what makes the story so loving and unforgettable. We see both of them explaining how they go through the vicissitudes of life, doing what each of them feels that they need to do to cope and survive. Above all, they gain the trust of each other in an existential situation that has to do with matters of life and death and end-of-life issues.

The show has enough wiggle-room that you have an idea where it’s going, but you don’t know what the characters will do next or what will happen next. That unknowingness plus the seeming spontaneity of Jean’s and Michael’s banter hold our attention throughout the 95-minute presentation. Their dialogue is also a fount of medical and health information: from current medical advice to non-pharmaceutical remedies for terminal or critical illnesses, such as changes in diet, adopting meditative practices, and improving one’s attitude towards life.

Thanks to the fine work of scenic designer Jackson Anderson and props designer Lauren Ramos, the set, which consists of a therapy room, complete with massage table and folding screen, could not be any more ideal! (Note that Open Space Arts is a very small theatre, holding an audience of only 20 people. But the show could easily migrate onto a larger stage without losing its intimacy and poignancy, but then I digress….) Costume design by Elly Burke could not be any more appropriate, with costume changes (and linen and sheet changes) being many and frequent, corresponding to the different days during the course of the year when Jean comes into the office for her massage. Intimacy director Greta Zandstra has done wonders in making close contact between the masseur and his client very professional. Special recognition should be made to massage consultant Dan Hickey for making the action look extraordinarily authentic. Lighting by Justin Walker and sound by Zach Stinnett are perfect, especially in the way that scenes are being differentiated.

We see the angst and fear when people want to keep control over their lives when it comes to decisions about health, wellness, and the aging process. No one wants to turn into a vegetable or be on machines 24/7, but will there be comfort when it’s the time and date of our own passing? This two-character drama makes us ponder who may be there for us and why—and whether we will live (or die) with regrets about how our lives have been lived. Should we have made different choices or done things differently? How do we measure whether our lives have been a success or not, nor should we? Yet what makes this show so effective is the fusion of an incredible script with outstanding acting. Bowman and Nicholas are so amazing in their roles that it seems as if we could touch both characters and give them each a big hug—which is what my guest did after the performance ended! Rather than giving this production five stars, perhaps it should get five teardrops. My guest, a cancer survivor, couldn’t agree more.

This show is very special. Run, don’t walk, to see it!

“Massage Therapy” is playing at Open Space Arts, 1411 W. Wilson Avenue, in Chicago, through October 1, 2023.

General admission tickets are $25.
$20 for seniors and students.

Performance schedule:

September 16, 17, 20, 23, 24, 27, 29, 30, October 1
All curtain times 7:30 p.m.

To purchase tickets, go to https://www.goelevent.com/OpenSpaceArts/e/Search.

For more information about the show and to learn about Open Space Arts’ other offerings, visit https://openspacearts.com/.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com

go to Review Round-Up and click at “Massage Therapy”.