The Wisdom of Eve

Alchemy Works and the Alliance for Representative Theatre present The Wisdom of Eve, a classic tale with a modern twist. Adapted from the story by Mary Orr, on which the landmark film All About Eve was based, AW’s production shows three of the leading characters (Margo, Eve & Vera) as wheelchair or crutch users. However, some of the disabilities seen by the audience are not what they seem.

The play is an engrossing and revealing “inside” story of life in New York’s theatre world told in terms of an unscrupulous ingénue’s rise to Broadway stardom. We follow Eve Harrington from the moment she is standing in the rain by the stage door, waiting for a glimpse of her professed idol, Margo Crane. Their meeting leads to unexpected opportunity as Margo, struck with Eve’s “sincerity,” takes her on as a personal secretary. Before long, Eve begins to move ahead in earnest, her true character emerging as she lies, cheats and blackmails her way to Broadway stardom–and then a Hollywood career–leaving the wreckage of her friends’ trust behind her. With lead roles portrayed as disabled actresses, new subliminal questions emerge about how Margo achieved her success and why her temperament is “tolerated.”