What a Young Wife Ought to Know: Affecting period piece which gets to the heart of the matter

Reviewed at the Grand Theatre in Kingston, ON

Though an exploration of women’s lives in 1920s Ottawa, Hannah Moscovitch’s What a Young Wife Ought to Know is not a play for the idle history buff. Rather this exploration is a visceral and sometimes discomforting one, as Moscovitch exposes the struggles many working-class women faced without control of their reproduction. The production of the play by Theatre Kingston, directed by the company’s own artistic director Rosemary Doyle, to its credit does not shy away from depicting this reality, hard as some moments may be to watch. The power of this production not only comes from its honest portrayal of the events in the script, but also the fully-realized character portrayals by the actors which make the struggles of the play’s protagonist, Sophie, and her conflicts with her husband and deceased sister thoroughly compelling.

The play begins with Sophie (Anna Sudac) as a naïve teenager, who is constantly warned by a then-alive Alma (Alexandra Montagnese), of the ever-present danger of “lying down” with men. It at first seems as though Alma is simply trying to exert control over Sophie’s life, unfairly curbing her sister’s freedom. As the later events of the play make clear (including Alma’s own scare with an unplanned pregnancy) however, this warning is meant to protect Sophie from the natural consequence of unprotected sex. This consequence comes to the fore when Sophie finally marries and begins a family with her working-class husband Johnny (Jesse MacMillan). Informed by the doctor that having more children after her second will endanger her life, Sophie struggles to ensure that no more will follow in the absence of any contraception. Without giving too much away, it is this disadvantage which leads to a scene which, in its great desperation, is truly heart-wrenching.

All three actors give striking performances which easily draw in the viewer to empathize with the situations of the characters. Sudac charms instantly as Sophie, asking the audience about their own marriages and specifically gesturing to female viewers on commonly-held experiences. The transformation from naïve girl to embattled wife that her character undergoes throughout the course of the play is thoroughly convincing and well-portrayed. Montagnese provides a good counterweight in the beginning half of the play as the uptight and streetwise Alma to the innocent-minded Sophie. The bond between the sisters, though one based in snark and cynicism rather than warmth, is also effectively portrayed.

Jesse MacMillan gives a laudably nuanced performance as Sophie’s husband Johnny, who is perhaps the most complex character in the play. From his introduction as a charismatic Irish crooner in the hotel where Alma works, Johnny starts off as nothing less than appealing and likable. It is when he is married to Sophie, however, that the less benevolent side of his character comes out; dismissive of the doctor’s warning, he insists that he and Sophie can still have more children and coerces her into sex to satisfy this wish. Yet even the disregard of his wife’s desires is portrayed not as merely malice but also as misguided defiance, as he denounces an alleged ‘conspiracy’ to control the size of working-class families.

Each of the characters in What a Young Wife Ought to Know are thoroughly human in their struggles and anxieties, which makes them all the more relatable. Beyond the familial drama, the play also depicts, in harsh terms, what life was like for many women without any means of controlling the number of children they had. While birth control is certainly more readily available today and women undeniably exercise more control in their families today than in the 1920s, Moscovitch’s work sheds light on an important part of history that is often glossed over or forgotten: women’s experiences, particularly those of poorer social status. Theatre Kingston’s production contributes much to the project of understanding this history, as well as being a thoughtful and emotionally affective performance in its own right.

What a Young Wife Ought to Know continues at the Grand Theatre in Kingston, ON until February 17. For information and tickets, see https://www.theatrekingston.com/what-a-young-wife-ought-to-know1.html

Written by Hannah Moscovitch

Crew:

Director: Rosemary Doyle
Set & Costume Design: Andrea Robertson Walker
Lighting Design: Kristen LeBeouf

Cast:
Sophie: Anna Sudac
Johnny: Jesse MacMillan
Alma: Alexandra Montagnese