Dr. Anonymous

Review by Lovell Estell III

Guy Frederick Glass’s tale of “love, liberation and opera” takes place in Philadelphia during the early days of the Gay Right’s Movement, when Frank Rizzo’s police goons would routinely raid gay nightclubs and “queer bash,” and when homosexuality was considered a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association.

Matt Crabtree plays a young, successful psychiatrist whose struggle with sexual identity imperils his professional life, friendships, his sanity, and an ostensibly happy relationship with his lover, Jake (Kevin Held). He eventually seeks the help of a colleague (Barry Pearl), who specializes in “gay conversion therapy,” but ultimately, the girly pics, quack nostrums, and positive reinforcement aren’t enough to provide peace-of-mind or self-acceptance.

Partial inspiration for the play is based on a 1972 incident at the APA Convention, where Dr. John Fryer donned a mask and announced to his colleagues that he was gay, an important moment in the struggle for gay rights that helped change psychiatry’s attitude towards homosexuality.

There is much to enjoy about this play. Glass, who himself is a psychiatrist, has an edgy sense of humor, and has scripted some memorable characters (Christopher Frontiero as an opera-obsessed “queen,” and Richard Sabine as a volatile, self-hating, gay male). There also is plenty of dazzling black-and-white film footage used from the period. The script, however, suffers from bad cases of overwrite and drift, being frustratingly vague where it needs to be incisive.

Rounding out the cast is Jonathan Torres. John Henry Davis directs. – Lovell Estell III

Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Ave., LA., Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m., through May 4. (323) 960-7724, www.plays411.com/doctor