People gathered around SMU’s Greer Garson Theatre at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday for the theatre department’s production of Clare Booth Luce’s iconic feminist play “The Women.”
Luce was a journalist, playwright and congresswoman known for her sarcasm and wit. “The Women” was her hit play on Broadway in 1936. It has since been adapted into a movie directed by George Cukor in 1939 and, more recently, one in 2008 directed by Diane English starring Meg Ryan and Eva Mendes.
The play tells the story of a group of women who face the challenges of marriage, divorce, gossip and social classes. While they all claim to be “friends,” “The Women” is filled with hilarious backstabbing moments in which each of the characters shows their true nature. The play pokes fun and criticizes the way society creates expectations of how they should act.
Sarah Lacy Hamilton, an SMU senior, takes the role of Mary Haines, a sweet woman whose unfortunate story is the catapult for the rest of the storyline. When she finds out her husband has been cheating on her for the past few months, and that her closest friends knew about it and said nothing, she goes through a series of disappointments. She wants to believe in the power of love but even her mother tells her the best thing to do is absolutely nothing.
“The politics of the play can be difficult—Mary, the heroine says at the end ‘A woman in love can’t afford to have any pride,’ that’s pretty hard to swallow,” Director Blake Hackler said.
Hackler is an associate theatre professor at SMU and said he chose the play because it was a great opportunity to showcase the talented actresses in the
theatre program.
While the play isn’t supposed to have any men, Meadow’s version of “The Women” chose to cast four.
Steven Smith, Ryan-Patrick McLaughlin, Ian Hill and Derek George light up the stage as some of the funniest, most flamboyant characters in the play.
“The Women” is beautifully put together and constantly leaves the audience anxious for the next scene. It’s a dynamic and lively performance that instantly draws the audience in not only with its outstanding performance but also with the details of the costumes, the lighting and set.
“Our version of ‘The Women’ is also different from any other version—it was created by us—so it bears the unique stamp of this cast and this creative team,” Hackler said.
See “The Women” Thursday through Sunday at the Greer Garson Theatre in the Owen Arts Center.
