A wickedly contemporary reimagining of Wycherley's Restoration comedy, a riotous satire of toxic masculinity, female autonomy and double standards.
The Country Wife comes to Studio One in Hanley on Friday 20 November, a theatre production of the Restoration comedy. It's set in the decadence of Restoration England, but it's staged as a wickedly contemporary reimagining of the original play. The plot is a riotous romp in which everyone has something to hide and reputation is everything, and the production frames it as a savage satire of toxic masculinity, female autonomy, slut-shaming and the double standards that still dictate who gets to behave badly and who pays the price.
What makes this version stand out is how it balances the old with the new. The staging keeps the corsets, the powdered wigs and the outrageous comedy of the original, but it updates the whole thing to speak to a modern culture of image, influence, entitlement and public scandal. So you'll see the period costumes and the high-energy comedy of the 17th century, but the themes are pulled right up to the present day.
If you're not familiar with the play, it's a comedy of manners from the Restoration era, known for its sharp wit and its focus on sex, marriage and social standing. This production takes those same elements and turns them into a commentary on how we still judge people based on their public image and the double standards that still hang around. It's a bit of a double act: the period setting and the modern edge running side by side.
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It's playing at Studio One in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, on Friday 20 November, and tickets are £3.
