Award-wining playwright Sarah Ruhl is known for smart, timeless storytelling with a modern sensibility. This week, area acting company The Producing Unit will perform a reading of Ruhl’s new play, How to Transcend a Happy Marriage, directed by Peter Frisch.
The “happy marriage” in the title suggests a “traditional” marriage — the viability of which is called into question when two couples at a dinner party discuss the appeal of a polyamorous lifestyle, a topic inspired by a new acquaintance, Pip, who has two partners. Pip and her companions join the party, and the real-world implications of non-monogamy are put on display.
Ruhl’s play is a conversation about traditionally accepted romantic choices and how their structure misaligns with those of our primitive ancestors, who, consistently throughout history — whether for pleasure, procreation, or support in raising a family — accepted polygamy (or “open relationships”) as a productive social structure. How to Transcend brings this discussion into current focus with characters who palpate the lines of physical, emotional, and spiritual connection.