'Hysteria' - Freudian like a 'mother f*cker'
BY JESSICA ARNOLD 

What happens when you mix the surreal hues of Salvador Dali, the theoretical rationalizations of Sigmund Freud and a scantily clad woman with a secret agenda all in one room?   "Hysteria," a brilliantly penned wacknut-tragicomedy by Terry Johnson, now playing at the Hippodrome.   It can be tagged as a farce for its absurd satirical flavor, but it goes deeper than that - much deeper - into the minds of two very eccentric men.

The play is set in 1938, in Freud's London home, after he fled from Nazi forces in his hometown of Vienna.   There he hopes to spend the remainder of his cancer-stricken days in peace with his close friend Dr.   Yahuda at his side.   The action of the play takes place in Freud's study, shrouded in mysterious objects, books, phallic antiquities, trinkets, tapestries, treasures from the orient, phallic antiquities, did I mention phallic antiquities? Michael Lasswell's set design for "Hysteria" is brilliant, richly textured in dark wood, plush pillows and ornate furnishings providing a comfy environment in which to lose one's mind.   

It is here, one stormy night, that Freud hears an incessant tapping at the veranda door.   Enter young woman, "Jessica," in distress with hidden agenda, seeking Dr.   Freud's help.   Then woman in distress has no dress, colorful lingerie is thrown about, and the craziness begins.   Shortly thereafter, Dali, the patron saint of the surrealist movement, steps in for a surprise visit to Freud and "Hysteria" breaks loose.   

The acting was phenomenal, especially noting Mark Chambers' neurotic Freud and Gregg Jones' animated Dali.   Gregg Jones' comic delivery was flawlessly on time.   Jones' vibrant character illuminated the despondent backdrop of Freud's mind.   "The mind, more than ever, craves illumination," states Freud in Act 1, foreshadowing the explosive psychological multimedia interactions on Act 2.   

The title of this play couldn't be more fitting.   It literally left the audience in hysteric fits of laughter as well as delving into the subconscious dealing with sexual disturbance.   Dali, Freud and Jessica's intricate personalities interact, and through each other they find acceptance and redemption of their own sexual fears and mortal concerns.   The meat of the play, if you will, is thought provoking, while being played comically.   It had a dual nature much like the mind - a physical conscious, and a dark netherworld of the subconscious.   This is a must-see production.   Director Mary Hauche paints a vivid portrait of the human mind, much like a Dali print, in which meaning is subjective "Hysteria" runs through November 12.