Wives
Peter Jay Sharp Theater
Written by
Jaclyn Backhaus
Directed by Margot Bordelon
Jody Falco and Jeffrey Steinman Emerging Playwright Commission
World premiere
DIANE
You’re the queen, bitch. There isn’t any king around. This is your world.
From the brawny castles of 16th Century France, to the rugged plains of 1960s Idaho, to the strapping fortresses of 1920s India, all hail the remarkable stories of Great Men! — and their whiny, witchy, vapid, vengeful, jealous wives. In this kaleidoscopic, time-hopping comedy, Jaclyn Backhaus pushes past patriarchal cliché to reach an ecstatic breakthrough, untethering stories and history — and language itself — from the visions made by men.
Special thanks to The Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater for its generous support of this production.
“Jaclyn Backhaus’ feverish, feminist comedy is performed with enjoyable brio by the cast.”
— Ben Brantley, The New York Times“Winking and exuberant! Jaclyn Backhaus’ Wives is a swift and playful feminist manifesto.”
— Sara Holdren, New York Magazine