Whenever I pick up a play that’s been mostly forgotten – especially one that won the Pulitzer – I go into it expecting it to be bad or feature awful racism or be terribly dated. In short, I start reading waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Craig’s Wife is a little dated, but it was unexpectedly good. It’s a fascinating exploration of marriage and control, of the tension in marriage between love and practicality. No, the characters aren’t all terribly dense with loads of nuance, but that’s sort of the point of the whole play: sometimes people and situations are what they seem. Full stop.
The play takes a few twists along the way, and while they do veer toward melodramatic, they had me uncertain as to how the play would wrap up.
I once again end with this thought: Why is it that the plays of the 1920s and 1930s feature such a plethora of fascinating, strong female characters? I’m continually impressed by characters, limited by social norms, who are strong and loads more interesting than many of the post-feminist movement female characters, who seem pulled straight from Misogyny 101.
If nothing else, the title character in Craig’s Wife would be a wonderful vehicle for an actress looking to sink her teeth into a meaty role. Recommended.