Candida

This sparkling domestic comedy by George Bernard Shaw is about a wife who is forced to choose between her steadfast clergyman husband and the passionate young poet who has fallen in love with her. Highly comic scenes are mixed with serious and touching moments in Shaw’s uncharacteristically romantic play, which tests the boundaries of expected roles within a marriage and, to a larger extent, within society. Michael Halberstam directs.

Lightly peppered with Shaw’s biting political observations, Candida is a play about passion — both idealistic and realistic. First produced in 1904 and one of Shaw’s personal favorites, Candida salutes (and skewers) the old established institution of marriage. It is a warm and humorous tale that challenges the conventional wisdom about relationships between the sexes and, in the tradition of the two previous productions at the Cocteau this season, Mother Courage and Medea, focuses on women who must make difficult choices.

What the critics are saying:

“…Marriage under playful Shavian siege” – The New York Times

” A witty examination of the modern roles of husband and wife.” – am New York

“…a very polished revival that is elegant and amusing. With excellent performances from the ensemble of six, this is one of the finest productions at the Jean Cocteau Repertory.” – Back Stage

“It’s a pleasure then, to know that the minute Morell and his secretary Miss Prossy appear on the stage at the opening of this new production, we are in the hands of people who understand how to translate Shaw’s intellectual work into a performance of vibrancy and spirit.” – Curtain Up

“…It has a gentleness and depth of compassion unusual for Shaw…” – Village Voice