The ol' Weekly Volcano water cooler is bubbling with the chatter of Showtime's new Masters of Sex series, the dramatized story of 1950s sexuality-research pioneers Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson.

Brody and Carrie who?

Anyway, with sex on the brain, the University of Puget Sound press release for In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play stood us at attention. Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Sarah Ruhltransforms the reputation of the vibrator from Seattle Fringe Festival prop to serious theatrical subject matter. With pre-show hype claiming it's "a story of repressed sexuality and physical exploration with equal doses of humor and emotion," In the Next Room revolves around the prim Victorian medical practice and home life of Victorian-era gyno Dr. Givings and his wife, Catherine. They just had their first child, but they are forced to hire a wet nurse, bringing the bereaved Elizabeth into their lives. As Catherine gossips with Elizabeth, and meets more and more of her husband's patients, she learns about the mysterious, new therapy. Everyone's world quickly, um, vibrates.

Read Christian Carvajal's full review of In The Next Room in the Music and Culture section.

IN THE NEXT ROOM (OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY), 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1-2, 7-9, also 2 p.m. Nov. 9, Norton Clapp Theater, Jones Hall, University of Puget Sound, 1500 N Warner, Tacoma, $7-$11, 253.879.6013

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