Judy Heneghan as Mary Jones and Brad David Reed as Robert Jones in Buzzwork Theater Company's "Invasion of the Minnesota Normals"

The benchmark of “normal” is ever-evolving, relative, and intangible. But in the 1950’s, during the rise of Joe McCarthy and McCarthyism, the term took on a new and serious meaning with psychological tests such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). With such tests, scientists sought to establish a standardized method of profiling and categorizing people based on their personality traits and perceived tendencies. Scarier yet, Americans became subject to judgment against these tests’ “standards” – many of which were dubious at best. Buzzwork Theater Company’s production, "Invasion of the Minnesota Normals," brings this phenomenon to light in a humorous but enlightening manner.

The story takes place in the 1953 Chicago household of Ruth McKinley (Deborah Reed), a conventional American housewife – at least on the surface. Her husband, who is shown only briefly as he wretchedly bolts upstairs in the beginning, has been laid off from his job on the basis of his results on the MMPI. Meanwhile, a new neighbor named Robert Jones (Brad David Reed) has taken a position with the company. Incidentally, Jones was one of those in the control group for the test along with his wife Mary (Judy Heneghan), pinning them as part of the benchmark for “normal.” 

As we soon see, these two are anything but normal, and instead represent the quirkiest of the quirky. Robert speaks loud and fast in a hyper-excited tone, like a young child, while Mary follows him step-for-step. Nevertheless, their ability to appear as a typical, norm-abiding couple with not the least sign of deviance or dissent has passed the Joneses as a model of American normalcy. Meanwhile, the entertaining but unstartling mannerisms of the others come to light, such as the constant bickering of the Beechums (Nichole Pelerine/Anne von Hermann and Peter Breitmayer), who are neighbors and friends of the McKinleys. Lending perhaps the strongest comedic hand to the play is Breitmayer, who plays a terrifically irritable middle-aged husband with an uncanny ability to incorporate “goddamn” into nearly every sentence.

The production's running time is ideal -- long enough to provide an eye-opening understanding of the issue at hand, but succint and fast-paced to keep the audience enthralled. The beginning of the play is a bit slow, and at times Rita's behavior and delivery are almost annoyingly stereotypical and bubbly. Her role is clear, however, as an upstanding, well-adjusted woman and wife whose character is suddenly in doubt.

The play is a great time out for any audience looking to laugh and learn, and tells a fascinating story beyond the general and impersonal descriptions of such personality tests. While keeping a light-hearted tone, the plot certainly touches on the tip of a darker iceberg, which shows the potential for skew and misrepresentation when relying too much on an appealing but flawed paradigm.

"Invasion of the Minnesota Normals" is currently playing on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays until April 19th at the Lounge Theater, located at 6201 Santa Monica Blvd.