Sex Therapy: A Black Comedy

Mary Melfi

Guernica Editions, 1996 - Drama - 118 pages

The comic and the tragic, sanity and insanity merge in this microscopic representation of a nightmare city in the dynamics of a therapy group. Strange and sensuous, this play is imbued with caustic wit and irreverence toward the status quo of postmodern society and its telfonic psychotherapeutic establishment. Mary Melfi takes a whimsical look at the relationship between a group therapist and his patients, exploring the nature of their shared intimacies. When one of the patients makes a bold attempt to seduce the therapist, delightful complications arise. The theft of an antiquarian Roman doll implicating therapist and patients alike further challenges our traditional ideas about doctor/patient roles and expectations. Melfi's intense, lyric, occasionally prophetic language produces a rich, magic texture of strong words and funny, bittersweet imagery and action. Whether on stage or on the printed page, Sex Therapy is a work easy to enjoy and hard to forget.

Contents

• Section 1: 5
• Section 2: 6
• Section 3: 7
• Section 4: 8
• Section 5: 10
• Section 6: 14
• Section 7: 18
• Section 8: 22
• Section 9: 24
• Section 10: 28
• Section 11: 32
• Section 12: 34
• Section 13: 36
• Section 14: 38
• Section 15: 42
• Section 16: 46
• Section 17: 50
• Section 18: 52
• Section 19: 62
• Section 20: 72
• Section 21: 78
• Section 22: 80
• Section 23: 84
• Section 24: 86
• Section 25: 88
• Section 26: 94
• Section 27: 96
• Section 28: 97
• Section 29: 98
• Section 30: 100
• Section 31: 102
• Section 32: 108

About the author

Mary Melfi was born in a small mountain town south of Rome. In 1957, at the age of six, she immigrated with her family to Montreal, Quebec where she attended local English schools. She received a B.A. in English Literature from Concordia University and a Masters of Library Science from McGill University. Since completing her studies in 1977 she has published over a dozen books of critically-acclaimed poetry and prose. Her first novel, Infertility Rites, was published by Guernica Editions in 1991; it was later translated into French and Italian. Doubleday Canada published her children's fantasy book: Ubu, the Witch Who Would be Rich. In 2009, the author's memoir, Italy Revisited: Conversations with My Mother, was published in Canada. In 2012 it was translated into Italian by Laura Ferri and published by Iannone Editions under the title, Ritorno in Italia, conversazioni con mia madre. Also a playwright, Mary Melfi's works for the theatre have been workshopped in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Her two full-length plays, both comedies, Foreplay and My Italian Wife were published by Guernica Editions in 2012. Noted for her black humour, wry wit and imaginative style, critics have suggested that this author manages "not only to make us laugh, but also think." She received the Giornata Internazionale Della Donna Award in 2010. In-depth reviews of her published works can be found in William Anselmi's book entitled: Mary Melfi, Essays on her Works (Guernica Editions, 2007). Mary Me

Bibliographic information

• Title: Sex Therapy: A Black Comedy; Volume 13 of Drama (Guernica); Drama Series 13 Series; Issue 13 of Drama series
• Author: Mary Melfi
• Publisher: Guernica Editions, 1996
• ISBN: 1550710354, 9781550710359
• Length: 118 pages
• Subjects: Drama / American / General