The off-Broadway Theatre Review: The Maid & The Mesmerizer

By Dennis W. 

A former hypnosis therapist played by Patrick T. Horn (Irish Repertory Theater’s The Dead; Larry Phillips’ Koalas are Dicks) changes his act and becomes a mesmerizer, going on the road after giving up therapy for the stage. At the insistence of his manager, to spice up the act, he takes on an assistant played by Patricia Lynn (Playwright: An Honest Lesson in Self-Defence). He’s searching for a “stereotypical lovely assistant” but that’s not what he ends up finding in the fascinating world premiere production of The Maid & The Mezmeriser currently being staged at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatre Space.

Written by Lynn, a self-described “gothic feminist playwright” who also stars, the play unravels in the dead of winter in Montana and a few other Northern Plains states, giving the production a well-served gothic sense of isolation. Lynn describes her play as “inspired by the Bronte sisters’ epic romance novels…(and) follows the volatile ups-and-downs of a fiery love affair.” The characters themselves even allude to ‘Wuthering Heights‘ as their relationship deepens, becoming more and more entwined and finally, completely isolated, stranded in a wild snowstorm.

As directed by Jenn Susi (Gallery Players’ The Morning After) on a sparse stage with just a bed and a few cubes, the play flows forward. Lynn’s maid is pragmatic and straightforward from the very beginning, even during her interview for the job as his obliging assistant. She won’t take ‘no’ for an answer even though it is clear that the mesmerizer is willing to pass her over. Somehow, even in his isolation, he sees his way clear to look at more possible candidates. He wants someone who is convincingly believable, pretending to be hypnotized on stage for the act. She pushes the mesmerizer to put her under hypnosis. In a flash, she becomes the perfect candidate, ready to be mesmerized, and convinces him that he should hire her. She even comes with her own maid’s outfit reinforcing the ever-present Victorian influence.

Shadowy lighting design by Austin Boyle (Neighborhood Playhouse’s Dance Nation) reinforces that gothic theme. Susi’s direction is simple and straightforward creating a dance that brings the characters closer and closer together. We follow the pair as they build on their compelling relationship and like an unspoken Victorian code, the maid puts a list of rules on her laptop that they must follow.  She knows from the beginning they will become intimate but she wants to ensure that they both are aware of the consequences of following or not following the ever-growing list. Just know that if you are planning to see The Maid & The Mezmeriser, the play carries an advisory that it contains “challenging conversations about sex, rape, and consent.”

Horn and Lynn are well-matched in this production leading us through their ever-evolving relationship. Horn’s mesmerizer becomes more controlling and Lynn’s once stalwart character seems to bend to the mesmerizer’s will. We move along at a brisk pace as the two move from town to town sharing the stage and sharing a bed. We are totally pulled in, embracing the dynamic and finding ample reason to stay tuned in, right up to and including the point when disaster strikes deep, in a twist that you don’t see coming.