This story is taken from Onstage at SacTicket.com.

Theater review: 'Women' stands test of time
By Marcus Crowder -- Bee Theater Critic - (Published February 27, 2006)

The moral of the story for Clare Boothe Luce's "The Women" seems to be that "mother knows best." In a handsome and entertaining new production by City Theatre, the 1937 all-woman comedy feels just a bit dated but still retains some sharply observed social truths.

The mother in this case is finely played by community theater veteran Georganne Wallace and she doles out some old-fashioned advice to her daughter Mary Haines, efficiently played by a charming Cheantell Munn. Daughter Mary has a wayward husband, the never-seen Steven, and mother's sage advice is just ignore his transgressions and he'll soon come back to you.

"A man has only one escape from his old self: to see a different self in the mirror of some woman's eyes," Mrs. Morehead tells her daughter.

Unfortunately for Mary, mother's fairly liberal "don't ask, don't tell" doctrine becomes superceded by torrents of unsolicited information and instruction from her various friends. Before she knows it, Mary's in Reno getting a divorce and most of her friends are too.

Playwright Luce was a well-known New York society woman who worked at Vogue before becoming an editor at Vanity Fair. She married Henry R. Luce, president of Time, Inc. and eventually was elected to Congress and became an ambassador to Italy. She knew the rarefied social circles she satirized in her play because she was a part of them.

Stirring the narrative pot is Katherine Pappa's catty Sylvia Fowler, who lives to dish dirt and gossip equally. The naive Mary is no match for Sylvia's social savagery and the rest of their friends fall into line spreading rumors and wreaking havoc on each other's lives.

Director David Harris maintains a bright tone throughout with a solid mix of experienced and novice actors. Besides the excellent Wallace, who also has a standout scene as a Reno hotel maid, Martha Omiyo Kight has a suitably extravagant comic turn as the oft-married Countess de Lage.

The large ensemble includes strong performances from Reha Zamani, Mari Carson and Lauren Charlesworth. All the actors play numerous roles (the original Broadway production had 40 speaking parts) and the lush vintage costumes must have been flying back stage to make the numerous scene changes.

Men will be men, Mrs. Morehead knows, but she also says, "There is nothing like a good dose of another woman to make a man appreciate his wife."

THE WOMEN
3 stars

WHAT: The City Theatre at Sacramento City College production
WHEN: Continues at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays and March 11, 16 and 18; through March 19
WHERE: Art Court Theatre, 3835 Freeport Blvd., Sacramento
TICKETS: $15 general, $10 seniors, students with ID, SARTA members and persons with disabilities, $7 matinees. Children ages 6 and younger are not admitted.
TIME: 2 hours and 35 minutes, including one intermission.
INFORMATION: (916) 558-2228

About the writer:

• The Bee's Marcus Crowder can be reached at (916) 321-1120 or mcrowder@sacbee.com.