'Bad Habits' offers good sassy satire

By William Glover

NEW YORK (P One doctor has a platinum plate in his head and wrote a book "Marriage for the Fun of It." The other slithers about grinning smugly and mumbling.

The spooky pair center "Bad Habits," a brace of Terrence McNally satiric sketches about fashionable therapy which bowed in officially at the Astor Place Theater.

One of the more prolific strivers in free-form comic comment, McNally contin-

ués to abuse his muse with overwriting and dilute trenchant comment with childish graffiti. The best parts are great fun, however, and sassily sharp.

The first script, "Ravenswood," takes place in a posh clinic for the repair of broken marriages, both hetero and homosexual. "Everything in life is bad for you" is the motto of its permissive chief who lets. clients work out their own salvation.

As a running gag, his muscular Teutonic aide of-

fers rubdowns to everyone in tones of sensual menace. Three resident couples air assorted grievances that point up with manic exaggeration the essential absurdity of most domestic disagreements.

The second piece, "Dunelawn," concentrates on a sanitarium that specializes in more individualized aberrations such as alcoholism, transvestism and sadism. McNally's humor turns blacker as the strait-jacketed inmates await magic soothing serum and two starchy nurses solve their own emotional traumas.

The eight performers who take part in both playlets provide a set of sharp caricatures under the expertly timed direction of Robert Drivas. All are fine, though, at the preview attended Paul Benedict and Doris Roberts were a bit the best in ludicrously funny versatility.

Michael H. Yeargan and Lawrence King jointly get credit for unusually simple but effective settings as well as the costumes and lighting. The only thing that could have improved the production's sleek appeal would have been to trim away some of "Bad Habits” script indulgence.

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