In the late 1880s, electricity was still a curiosity. Not every home was wired, and as the debate over Edison’s direct current and Tesla’s alternating current raged on, some wondered if electric light was even a desirable substitute for candles, oil lamps, and gas lights to begin with. This is the world of Sarah Ruhl’s In the Next Room, or the vibrator play, one in which every light that turns on at the flip of a switch is cause for a momentary incredulous pause at what wonders technology brings.