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.

From the show:

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.

Show-Score Member Reviews (75)

Inconsistent, Funny, Great acting, Intelligent

See it if you enjoy good acting, funny & witty moments; interesting take on the treatment of women through the years; some laugh out loud moments.

Don't see it if you are looking for consistency amongst the three vignettes; third vignette seems out of place; don't appreciate satire or lots of cursing.

Disappointing, Ambitious, Quirky, Funny, Great acting

See it if you want to support Playwrights Horizons entirely, and not just their hits.

Don't see it if you need a coherent through-line or something with a little modesty/humility.

Great staging, Quirky, Ambitious, Relevant, Clever

See it if You feel that women have always been overshadowed by the men in their lives, but can look at this situation with a sense of humor.

Don't see it if You are looking for high drama, as opposed to light treatment of a serious problem (women's suppression by men).

Intelligent, Didactic, Cliched, Funny, Ambitious

See it if you like entertaining theater that furthers the cause of liberating women from patriarchal stereotypes.

Don't see it if you don't like to be preached to in a show that presents it's message in a fairly one dimensional, stereotypical way.

Indulgent, Disappointing, Entertaining, Funny, Great acting

See it if You want broad comedy, female bonding, very good performances, and what felt like sketch comedy from Carol Burnett. Unevenly entertaining.

Don't see it if You want a tonal consistency. The final scene was so jarring from the rest. This isn’t wrong—I just hated it. There is comedy, drama...

Disappointing, Too long, Uneven, Creative staging, Great acting

See it if you enjoy creative, well-acted, nicely-staged, funny shows that provide a clever look at women in history and raise good feminist issues.

Don't see it if you can't deal with a play that starts off well but goes somewhat downhill as the show progresses and culminates with a disjointed final act Read more

Indulgent, Great concept, Disappointing, Clever enough

See it if The show begins brightly and absorbingly with a fresh look at history that might have been had women been in charge.

Don't see it if The end bogs down in self-indulgent, even embarrassing, rant on womenhood, motherhood and feminism. Even a feminist will have issues with it

Clever, Great acting, Edgy, Disappointing, Confusing

See it if you like feminist plays & unexpected twists, learn why women feel so unempowered, like non-linear plots that jump in time, odd happenings

Don't see it if you need a linear plot following same characters, shocked by ill-treatment o women, yearning to stand up on your own& living for who you are

Critic Reviews (15)

Trailer

Creative team