Jaclyn Backhaus’ play "Wives" premiered Sunday at East West Players’ David Henry Hwang Theater in Southern California. The production explores the condition of women across four distinct historical and cultural settings: 16th-century France, 1920s India, 1960s Idaho, and a fictional present-day Oxbridge, blending these disparate time periods through a series of comedic sketches.
Rather than following a traditional narrative structure, "Wives" functions more as a collection of thematic vignettes connected by overarching feminist ideas. The play highlights the experiences of women who are often pitted against each other in patriarchal societies but ultimately find strength in solidarity. For example, the script depicts rivalries and alliances among wives and mistresses within the French court of King Henry II and the palace of Maharaja Madho Singh II, as well as intimate exchanges among the widows and ex-wives of Ernest Hemingway during a wake. In the contemporary Oxbridge setting—drawn from the milieu imagined in Virginia Woolf’s "A Room of One’s Own"—two students forge a bond while engaging in a shared scholarly space described as a haven for witches.
A central theme emerges as these women recognize men not as coveted prizes but as part of a systemic problem, seeking empowerment through mutual support. The play’s format occasionally shifts into musical interludes or spoken-word segments, which adds to its unconventional style.
"Wives" first debuted at Playwrights Horizons in New York in 2019 but did not gain widespread attention. Its Southern California premiere is a co-production between East West Players and Hypokrit Live Arts, directed by Arpita Mukherjee, co-founder and artistic director of Hypokrit. The set design has been noted for its elegance, but critiques point to a lack of dramatic development and comedic finesse. Reviewers have characterized the production as feeling more like a political or feminist manifesto than a fully realized theatrical piece, with some sketches perceived as clumsy and less effective in their humor.
The four-person cast includes Rachna Khatau, praised for her portrayal of sly and unpredictable characters who navigate complex manipulations within the scenes. E.M. Davis offers a performance oscillating between earnestness and caricature, while Parvesh Cheena provides the notable presence of the sole male actor, occasionally engaging in broad audience interaction.
Comparisons have been drawn between "Wives" and Caryl Churchill’s acclaimed feminist work "Top Girls," which similarly explores themes of women’s roles across time. However, "Wives" has been described as less nuanced, tending to resolve conflicts explicitly rather than leaving interpretive space for viewers, resulting in a tone that some find more didactic than dramatically compelling.