We're positive you'll get a rise (wink wink nudge nudge) out of this one: Mark St. Germain's comedy Becoming Dr. Ruth, starring Debra Jo Rupp (That '70s Show) as real-life sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer begins performances at off-Broadway's Westside Theatre on October 11. Directed by Julianne Boyd, the show is scheduled to play a limited engagement through January 12, 2014. Opening night is set for October 29.
Everyone knows Dr. Ruth from her career as a pioneering radio and television sex therapist. Few, however, are aware of the incredible journey that preceded it. From fleeing the Nazis in the Kindertransport and joining the Haganah in Jerusalem as a scout and sniper, to her struggles to succeed as a single mother coming to America, Becoming Dr. Ruth is filled with humor, honesty and the life-affirming spirit of Karola Ruth Siegel, the girl who became “Dr. Ruth.”
Originally titled Dr. Ruth, All the Way, the show premiered at the Barrington Stage Company (where Boyd is the artistic director) in Pittsfield, MA, in 2012, then transferred to TheaterWorks in Hartford, CT, in May 2013. Becoming Dr. Ruth features set design by Brian Prather, costume design by Jen Moeller, lighting design by Scott Pinkney and sound design by Jessica Paz.
Find out what Rupp and Dr. Ruth herself had to say about this frisky bio-play in our video below!