About the Women
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ABOUT THE WOMEN Clare Boothe Luce’s The Women is a classic comedy of manners that occasionally AUDITIONS: (and delightfully) veers into screwball comedy. It premiered on Broadway in 1937, Sunday, January 25 at 7pm and it has been universally praised for both the level of its biting dialogue and Monday, January 26 at 7pm its all-female cast of genuine, fully-formed characters (over thirty of them!) — a true novelty for the period. Callbacks, if necessary, on Wednesday, January 28 at 7pm The Women is probably best remembered for the 1939 film version, featuring a cast of great character actresses led by Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell and No appointment necessary. Cold read Joan Crawford. Though the movie eliminated a great deal of the more candid from the script. elements of the play (the eternally pregnant and hilariously bitter Edith is all but excised from the script, for example), it’s still a paragon of fast-paced, delicious dialogue and high style. SHOW RUN: March 27–April 25 REHEARSAL PERIOD: Feb 2–March 26 Monday through Thursday, 7:30pm to 10pm Character breakdown on following page. If the play has an essential difficulty, it’s that it was written as a reaction to the ridiculousness of New York society women and their relationships with their men. The original tagline was “The Women—It’s all about men!” That’s true. The entirety of the play centers around their machinations to win, keep, please and suffer the men in their lives. As a feminist piece, it fails the Bechdel test miserably. Clare Boothe Luce, being an insider, held a true animosity toward the character types she created. Our take on this situation is not, “How ridiculous these women are!” Instead, we’re looking at the absurdity of a society where women are forced to be manipulative, destructive, submissive and obsessed with image, because having the right man is the only option they’ve been given to get along in the world. They’re not birds sporting ridiculous plumage—they’re rats in a cage, forced to fight to survive. That said, they’re also incredibly funny and human! We intend to celebrate a certain triumph of the female spirit in adversity, and to glorify the style of the time with a knowing eye toward how insane it all is. This will be a fast, fun show! MARY HAINES, 30–50, a society matron. Mary is the center of the play; it is around her life and troubles that the action of the play revolves. She is strong and amiable—does not (as a rule) CHARACTER indulge in cattiness, self-pity, or materialistic greed. She simply doesn’t have to. She has BREAKDOWN it all. She’s the ideal of the period. Until, of course, everything goes wrong. SYLVIA FOWLER, 30–50, a society matron, part of Mary’s coterie. Sylvia, though she occupies the exact same societal position as Mary, is her polar opposite. She is sleek and feline, but We’re looking for sixteen prone to vicious gossip and social maneuvering. She is expert at it. Requires a comedienne excellent character actresses; who excels not only at rapid-fire badinage, but physical comedy. fifteen adults and one child or CRYSTAL ALLEN, 20–40, a shopgirl. Crystal is Mary’s rival for the affections of her husband. She early teenager. is drop-dead gorgeous (though her lack of subtlety reveals her tastes as “cheap”), truly savvy, ruthless, and tough as nails... seething with social ambition. Casting will be race-blind. EDITH POTTER, 30–50, a society matron, part of Mary’s coterie. Edith is perpetually pregnant and unhappy, trapped and wallowing in her own self-pity and sense of entitlement. Requires a comic actress with impeccable deadpan delivery. Of primary importance is the ability to convey comedy PEGGY DAY, 30–50, a newlywed, part of Mary’s coterie. Peggy is the youngest of Mary’s group of friends, and hasn’t yet defined a façade to present to society. She broadcasts her marital through character and and financial struggles guilelessly. dialogue: pace, enunciation and style are paramount. NANCY BLAKE, 30–50, an authoress, part of Mary’s coterie. An acid wit and dedicated virgin, Nancy is as close as Mary’s society gets to “fighting the power.” She and Mary are really the only ones in this group of friends to see the ridiculousness of their positions. To the right are the directors’ MIRIAM AARON, 30–50 , a performer in Musical Comedy. Though, like Crystal, Miriam is an notes on character. ambitious woman who has risen into society by marriage, her no-nonsense attitude and innate sense of right and wrong set her apart from many of these characters in terms of likeability. She tells it like it is, has no illusions about herself, and pokes holes in the Doublecast roles have been ridiculousness of others. (also plays PRINCESS TAMARA) orchestrated so that every member of the ensemble FLORA, THE COUNTESS DE LAGE, 50–60, a serial bride. The Countess is the eldest of Mary’s friends, and a figure of fun among them. She’s a bit dotty, ridiculously pampered and self-deluded, has the opportunity for and relies completely on her faith in “l’amour” to get her through life’s more difficult some really excellent, juicy moments. (also plays HAIRDRESSER) moments of character and JANE, 18–30, Mary’s maid. Jane is a young housemaid who lives vicariously and emotionally dialogue in their stage time. through the women she encounters in Mary’s company. There are no “throwaway LITTLE MARY, 9–14, Mary’s daughter. Little Mary is a bright, vivacious child, who offers an parts” here! unvarnished view of Mary’s life. Requires an unaffected, “honest” actress. MRS. MOREHEAD, 50–70, Mary’s mother. Mrs. Morehead is a model Patrician, expert in the ways and means of Polite Society. The advice she offers Mary is always correct; she is kind and loving, but reticent to suffer fools. OLGA, a manicurist. An inveterate gossip with machine gun delivery who unwittingly informs Mary of her husband’s affair. (also plays 1ST GIRL AT CLOTHIER’S, MISS TRIMMERBACK, CIGARETTE GIRL) MISS WATTS, Mary’s husband’s secretary. Miss Watts offers us a rare and candid glimpse of a 1930s woman who’s married to her job. (also plays CORSET MODEL, HELENE) EXERCISE INSTRUCTRESS at Elizabeth Arden. Hard as nails, the Instructress guides the more clueless matrons through their exercise rituals at a luxurious day spa. (also plays 2ND GIRL AT CLOTHIER’S, GIRL IN DISTRESS) LUCY, manager of a Reno Divorce Colony. Lucy is a lifeworn hotel proprietress whose contact with New York Society is only through her female guests who come through Reno to get divorced. She’s folksy and hilarious. (also plays SALESWOMAN AT CLOTHIER’S, MAGGIE, DOWAGER) NURSE in a maternity ward. In one of the most hilarious scenes in the play, the maternity nurse lambastes Edith for her pampered ways. (also plays MISS FORDYCE, SALESWOMAN AT CLOTHIER’S, SADIE).