Review
THE CONSTANT WIFE
Theatre Junction
Starring Shauna Baird, Duncan Ollerenshaw, Brian Jensen, Jim Leyden and Elinor Holt
Written by Somerset Maugham
Directed by Nikki Loach
Runs until October 25
Dr. Betty Mitchell Theatre (Jubilee Auditorium)
Marriage, and what defines it, has come to the forefront of media attention in recent times, so it’s interesting that Theatre Junction has chosen to open its new season with Somerset Maugham’s The Constant Wife. The play, written in 1927, explores notions of the sanctity of marriage and infidelity, but deals with these serious and sometimes painful subjects in the context of a clever comedy.
The Constant Wife contradicts our expectations of loyalty and the way characters would react to infidelity. It begins with rumours that Constance’s husband John (Duncan Ollerenshaw) is cheating on her. Constance (Shauna Baird) chooses to address the issue of her husband’s affair with her best friend, Mary-Louise (Adrienne Smook), in a way that deviates from regular drama. The result is a show that is both unpredictable and charming.
The play explores concepts of ownership and loyalty in marriage. It also questions why we get upset when people cheat on one another, and just what cheating, and ultimately marriage, is. Constance would argue that women must be monogamous if they are "bought," or provided for without earning their own money, even if their husbands are philandering.
However, she would also argue that women who provide for themselves can do whatever the hell they want.
This makes her character a little more complex than what is presented on the surface – she is neither a traditionalist nor a feminist. Instead, Constance is very much her own person because she neither fits, nor defines herself by, a label.
Theatre Junction’s cast, directed by Nikki Loach, is superbly suited for this play. Elinor Holt does a great job as Martha, Constance’s bitter, stiff and uptight sister. Brian Jensen plays Bernard, Constance’s old flame, as both awkward and sweet. And as Mary-Louise’s husband Mortimer, Jim Leyden provides one of the show’s highlights – a hilarious scene where he suspects his wife’s infidelity.
Baird, meanwhile, proves the perfect choice for Constance, keeping a big smile and pleasant manner in the most unlikely of circumstances. But it is Valerie Planche who delivers the show’s strongest performance. In her embodiment of Mrs. Culver, a mother who is a staunch traditionalist yet also needs to feel needed, Planche is simply a delight to watch onstage.
The play is set among the British upper class, where the characters have servants, are well dressed and obey the rules of etiquette even when it proves ridiculous – as when Ollerenshaw’s John politely tries to smash a dish for the sake of expressing his feelings. That is one of the few physically aggressive actions in the play, but this comedy does not need action to be compelling. In fact, it also speaks about how one expresses oneself and in what circumstances that expression is appropriate.
While his characters and situation may be dated, much of Maugham’s commentary on marriage and infidelity relates to the present. The Constant Wife still speaks to relationships today and that’s why this production is worth seeing. |
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