A Comedy about Cosmic Orgone Energy, Flying Saucers, and Magic Sex Boxes
Plot Summary
Women were toys in his hands. A wildly hilarious exploration of the true story behind Wilhelm Reich’s seduction of nearly every female student and patient he met.
Based on a true story, the play tells what happens when Dr. Wilhelm Reich comes to the United States and sets up his laboratory in Rangeley, Maine. After having been one of Freud’s most promising pupils, he begins descending into paranoia and madness. His legendary appetite for seduction, however, remains undiminished, and his sexual conquests continue right up until the federal government puts him on trial for selling magic sex boxes.
Strong language.
Suggestive imagery.
Slapstick comedy.
Mature themes: illicit relationships and psychosis.
Adult content, including dialogue and actions.
PG-13 type material. Parental discretion advised.
Get tickets to Wilhelm Reich Unleashed
Tickets will be going fast, so you'll want to get yours as soon as they go on sale. Email mike@newluxtheater.com to be notified by email when tickets are available.
Cast and Crew of "Wilhelm Reich Unleashed"
Cast:
Michael Shapiro as Wilhelm Reich
Alan Smithee as Peter Reich, his son
Robert Miller as Leo Reich, Reich's father
David Clark as Theodore Wolfe, Reich's translator
Thomas Wright as Frank Laszky, father of a girl Reich seduced
James Scott as Albert Einstein
Charles Green as FDA Agent
Mark Adams as German Tutor
Steven Baker as Dan, a mental patient
Paul Nelson as Dr. Willem Bon, a physicist
George Carter as Richard Nixon
Edward Mitchell as Fritz Perls, a psychiatrist
Brian Roberts as Peter Mills, prosecuting attorney
Thomas Wright is the Spaceman
Jack Smithee as Elsa Reich (played by a man), Reich's wife
Lucy Turner as Annie Pink, Reich's patient
Emily Phillips as Eva Reich, Reich's daughter
Robin Brenner as Judge Gina Sweeney
Robin Brenner as Cecelia Reich, Reich's mother
Robin Brenner as Pat Nixon
Alice Campbell as FDA Agent
Robin Brenner as Mrs. Popps, a cancer patient
Grace Parker as Mildred Brady, a reporter
Molly Evans as Nancy, a mental patient
Clara Edwards as Greta Hoff, Wolfe's wife
Sophie Collins as Lia Laszky, Reich's girlfriend
Lily Stewart as Clerk of the Court
Michael Shapiro
Production Crew:
Leadership:
Director: William Cane
Executive Producer: Jack Smithee
Associate Producer: Paul Jackson Smithee
Stage Manager: Anne O'Hara
Assistant Stage Manager: Kristie Clark
Design Team:
Set Designer: Karen Parker
Wardrobe Designer: Tingyu Hu
Lighting and Sound Designer: Jim DeLois
Consultants and Specialists:
Choreographer: Patrick Schumacher
Production Consultant: Nicki Cochrane
The set features a made-to-scale replica of Wilhelm Reich's laboratory in Rangeley, Maine, where he conducted research and taught students.
William Cane (Michael Christian) in Mexico, researching the Burroughs production.
William Cane is the pen name of bestselling author Michael Christian. A former trial attorney, he has directed more than a hundred stage shows,
including his Off-Off Broadway musical Meet The Real Ernest Shackleton (2004), which the New York Times compared to the Marx Brothers. In 2024 he directed
The Beat Generation and Crazy About You at the Producers Club in Manhattan. His books have been translated into twenty languages and have sold more than a million copies worldwide.
