The Wife of Willesden (Brooklyn Academy of Music)
The Wife of Willesden (Brooklyn Academy of Music)
Closed 1h 40m NYC: Brooklyn
78% 48 reviews
78%
(48 Ratings)
Positive
88%
Mixed
10%
Negative
2%
Members say
Entertaining, Great acting, Clever, Funny, Great staging

Acclaimed author Zadie Smith's modern take on Chaucer's classic Canterbury Tales.

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Critic Reviews (7)

The New York Times
April 6th, 2023

“The ‘Wife of Bath’ is an everywoman, but she’s also a singular literary creation, a character who transcends her moment.” 
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Theatermania
April 6th, 2023

“...‘The Wife of Willesden’ can seem more of Chaucer’s time than our own, despite its modern trappings.”
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New York Stage Review
April 6th, 2023

“ ‘The Wife’ in essence espouses the view that men ought to respect their wives to the point of allowing women to rule the roost...Most of us, I’d venture, would be content with equality and mutual respect...In this instance, the best response might be to sit back and enjoy it as the playwright goes her clever, merry way.”
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New York Stage Review
April 6th, 2023

“This is no one-woman show: Alvita gets plenty of support from her squad...But Alvita drives the narrative from start to finish. It’s a mammoth, hugely challenging role, and Perkins is phenomenal—hilarious, sexy, shattering, and one heck of a dancer. And she does it all in heels!”
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Exeunt Magazine
April 7th, 2023

“ ‘The Wife of Willesden’ is a proudly local piece–I definitely felt like I was missing cues about relationships and class from details like accents and costumes and referents that went over the head of the American audience.”
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Off Off Online
April 11th, 2023

“...Smith has transformed Alyson to Alvita, a Jamaica-born Londoner of today, in a comedy faithful to its source material yet discerning about contemporary social issues.”
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The Wrap
April 6th, 2023

“ ‘The Wife of Willesden’ emerges as more than just an academic exercise in precocity, thanks in part to director Indhu Rubasingham’s clever staging.”
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