Celebrated author and Vietnam veteran Tim O’Brien has written extensively about how, in order to convey the emotional truths and chaos of war, a writer must exaggerate characters and events. The idea is that this heightened, off-kilter version of reality will bring readers closer to the lived experience of a high-stress combat situation.

Of course, one of humanity’s most enduring battles is fought between the sexes, and Christopher Durang’s comedy “Beyond Therapy” — now being staged by P.T.D. Productions — hysterically skewers the conflict in an outsized manner that would make O’Brien proud.

Set in the '80s, when “Beyond” premiered in New York, the play begins when Prudence (Mouse Courtois) and Bruce (Todd Minnehan) meet for a date after responding to each other’s personal ads. The evening goes badly — in part, because Bruce tells Prudence about his bisexuality, as well as his live-in lover, Bob (Erich Bloch) — so they each go to their eccentric therapists to talk about it.

Prudence goes to Stuart (Todd St. George), an arrogant man who’d slept with her after their second session; and Bruce goes to Charlotte (Maria Thomas), a flighty woman who strains to find her words and makes a stuffed Snoopy bark when cheering on her patients. With Charlotte’s encouragement, Bruce changes his personal ad, but he ends up on a second date with Prudence, which goes much better. Yet the presence of Bob, and the therapists, in their lives inevitably makes the couple’s situation highly complicated.

Durang’s eccentric characters are wickedly, hilariously direct and candid with each other, so their conversations are always surprising — something I rarely say in reference to a romantic comedy. For example, when Prudence gets up to leave Bruce during their first date, Bruce argues, “Don’t go! They have a salad bar here!” (I ask you, who could leave upon hearing that?)

Minnehan and Courtois have a good on-stage rapport with each other and deliver their often-absurd lines with conviction. As Bob, Bloch is very funny, particularly when Prudence arrives at his apartment for a home-cooked dinner with Bruce. Yet my favorite performance came from Thomas, whose ditzy, verbally rambling, self-absorbed Charlotte does more harm than good — albeit unwittingly, with the best of intentions.

York guides his cast well, generally, so that the majority of the script’s comedy hits its mark; the not-quite-2-hour show runs its course smoothly; and neither Bob nor Bruce comes across as stereotypically gay, despite Bob’s show-tune-singing mother. My main qualms regarding direction concerned some awkward blocking — wherein conversing characters unnaturally address the audience instead of each other (I call this “soap opera blocking”) — and the character of Stuart, which seemed to beg to be played “bigger.”

York is also, however, responsible for the impressively efficient and satisfying set design, which manages to establish four different locales — each therapist’s office, Bob and Bruce’s living room, and a restaurant — in Riverside’s black-box space.

Potential patrons should note that “Beyond”’s subject matter, as well as some adult language, make it inappropriate for children; plus, a few '80s references may be lost on today’s audiences.

But as York points out in his director’s note, “Beyond”’s subject is ultimately timeless, since a man’s evolutionary urge to impregnate multiple women (to increase the chances of surviving offspring) stands in opposition to a woman’s drive for monogamy (to insure the survival of her offspring). “It seems that nature has conspired to make us ridiculous,” writes York.

Perhaps. But at least writers like Durang give us the chance to laugh at ourselves about it.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.