Wives NYC Reviews and Tickets

68%
(75 Ratings)
Positive
52%
Mixed
36%
Negative
12%
Members say
Great acting, Disappointing, Clever, Funny, Indulgent

About the Show

The author of "Men in Boats" returns to Playwrights Horizons with a new comedy that tracks and subverts patriarchal narrative tropes throughout the ages.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (75)

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541 Reviews | 489 Followers
90
Entertaining, Resonant, Great writing, Great staging, Great acting

See it if you can. This is a wildly entertaining show that manages to both split your sides and crack your mind wide open.

Don't see it if you're expecting something stuffy and buttoned up. This show's raucous energy manages to bolster the dramatic punch it packs.

257 Reviews | 26 Followers
88
Uneven, Clever

See it if you want to see a very, very funny opening scene even though it goes downhill from there; you like seeing 4 actors play different parts;

Don't see it if you expect to enjoy all four scenarios;

55 Reviews | 10 Followers
85
Thought-provoking, Edgy, Dizzying, Absorbing, Ambitious

See it if You love anachronistic, feminist witchy theater happenings that know where they've come from and are burning brightly towards somewhere.

Don't see it if You need clear traditional narratives and/or approaches to history/theater. You need answers spelled out. You think history is great men.

372 Reviews | 84 Followers
82
Quirky, Refreshing, Great staging, Clever, Delightful

See it if Clever and fun look at women through the eras-- four short segues through time with singing dancing a lot of irreverence, some humor and

Don't see it if some piercing insights. The sets were magical and oh so clever, but the four vignettes were inconsistent and got a ittle plodding at the end Read more

120 Reviews | 14 Followers
81
Effective acting, well staged, suspenseful as it builds towards a gruesome conclusion

See it if You want to see an exploration of human behavior soul searching interesting

Don't see it if You want to confront a troublesome subject

55 Reviews | 11 Followers
80
Funny, Intelligent, Entertaining

See it if you enjoy seeing history from a woman's point of view.

Don't see it if you have no sense of humor.

127 Reviews | 13 Followers
80
Thought-provoking, Great writing, Entertaining, Clever

See it if you want a different view of how the women behind the men think.

Don't see it if you think women should stay quiet.

276 Reviews | 48 Followers
79
Relevant, Great staging, Great acting, Entertaining, Delightful

See it if You enjoy good acting, staging, lighting in a well written fun play about the plight of being a woman. Very entertaining.

Don't see it if You are a male chauvinist.

Critic Reviews (15)

The New York Times
September 16th, 2019

“In ‘Wives,’ the Other Halves Have Their Say: Jaclyn Backhaus’s slapdash comedy, at Playwright’s Horizons, travels through time to coax oppressed spouses out of their powerful husband’s shadows.”
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New York Magazine / Vulture
September 16th, 2019

“‘Wives,’ in Four Exuberant Feminist Conversations”
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Theatermania
September 16th, 2019

“The ‘Wives’ of History Are Breaking Free From Their ‘Man’-Made Storie: Jaclyn Backhaus writes new versions of Catherine de' Medici and Ernest Hemingway's exes for a world premiere at Playwrights Horizons.”
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BroadwayWorld
September 17th, 2019

"Jaclyn Backhaus' Frantically Funny and Freestyle 'Wives' Comments on Patriarchal Pigeonholes"
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Talkin' Broadway
September 16th, 2019

“Backhaus, whose most recent stage offering, ‘India Pale Ale,’ was far less colorful, has written a time-hopping comedy that vents playfully and eloquently about the sorry lot of wives, and by extension all women, in a patriarchal society...’Wives’ is untidy and obsessive, and one is not always sure what Backhaus is trying to say, but it's still a zippy ride.”
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New York Stage Review
September 16th, 2019

3/5 Stars "'Life With Papa and Three Other Feminist Tales': An episode involving Ernest Hemingway's several widows is a highlight of a new satirical comedy"
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Theater News Online
September 16th, 2019

“I must confess that I was not a fan of ‘Men on Boats’ – and I did not much care for Wives either, although I admire Backhaus’ wild sense of theatricality and daring and uncompromising attitude towards both history and the present.”
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CurtainUp
September 17th, 2019

"Despite this time traveling comedy's flaws, Jaclyn Backhaus still drives home an urgent message here about patriarchal tropes and how they can insidiously infect a marriage and undo a woman's self-identity."
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