Our first production at the Shaw Festival this year, the Women is a very dated and very unflattering view of women in groups. Gossip and bitchiness are the theme; affairs and divorce the subject. I certainly don't treat my women friends this way, nor do we spend all our time gossiping about the women who are absent. But I have to admit, the play has a lot of great lines, many of which caused the man two rows in front of us to bellow with laughter.
Jackie Maxwell has brought together a great cast of women, as usual. The settings were spectacular and the costumes made me sigh for a more formal life style so I could have an excuse to wear those dresses!
It was a light comedy, but somehow did not srike quite the right note for me.
Beautiful sets, beautiful costumes, great cast, some very funny lines.
ReplyDeleteI think the audiences at the time saw all this plus related to either the society women or "those creatures" who were the help, and felt a little acid nip from some of the relationships portrayed.
While some of the (generally bad) behaviour is probably eternal, the overall effect was somewhat dated for a production today.
Fun, though.