Hysteria

Hysteria by Terry Johnson is loosely based on Sigmund Freud’s Seduction Hypothesis. The hypothesis was a lecture that Freud published in 1896. This lecture was later known as The Aetiology of Hysteria. The Aetiology was Freud’s results from 18 patients he psychoanalyzed. He concluded that Hysteria came from prepubescent females being sexually abused. He later abandoned his hypothesis and renounced it for the oedipal complex which stated that hysteria and other neuroses were the result of childhood fantasies.
Hysteria was a great play. For a very serious subject the humor was intelligently placed. I laughed most of the time except for when the playful plot later turned the audience figures out why Jessica is making the strange gestures when she reenacts Freud’s case study. At this point of the play we discover about Freud’s documentation of his patients being sexually abused. I think Terry Johnson does a great job of explaining all definitions of the word Hysteria.
I was unsure why Jessica kept taking her clothes off. The part of the play I disliked was when we finally figure out why Jessica hand is stuck together and she’s gagging. My young mind in the gutter caught on to what her gestures were early on before it was said in the play.
I enjoyed how the stage was put together. The rain effect was a nice touch. It really sets the mood of the play. The duplicates of the famous paintings of that era also create this interesting composition that’s feels like you are looking into a window into the past. When Freud and Dali are in the room together and everything begins to melt and the clocks and the hand with the bleeding fingers fall from the top of the stage. Visually I was impressed; I had no idea that this already complex put together stage would then become surreal right in front of my face. The all the furniture looked so perfectly antique.
The characters in the play all worked together flawlessly. The when Dali makes his entrance into the play he steals the show. He quotes his lines with such enthusiasm and weirdness. He does a great job of depicting Dali.
Overall I think Hysteria was interesting. It made me laugh and think outside of the box for a little bit of the day. It broke the norm of me just eating snacks and rotting away in front of the TV. I wouldn’t say it’s a must see play, but if you seek to see a play that is not a tragedy, different the normal and entertain you for 2 hours then Hysteria is the way to go.