Home Is Where the Tensions Are

In 2010, independent-minded women still seem to violate our notions of order. Even though society accepts women moving up the career ladder, we also still expect them to be sources of domestic bliss. We want the everywoman to be superwoman. But women have slowly gained ground, and these ever-changing expectations...

By Erica K. Landau

September 30, 2010

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In 2010, independent-minded women still seem to violate our notions of order. Even though society accepts women moving up the career ladder, we also still expect them to be sources of domestic bliss. We want the everywoman to be superwoman. But women have slowly gained ground, and these ever-changing expectations and gender norms inevitably inspire tensions, leaving the females of our species torn between what’s expected of them and what they want to do. And sometimes it’s more complicated than that. George Bernard Shaw explored the nuances of domestic tension in 1898 with Candida, his play about a woman who is faced with choosing between two men: James Morell, her somewhat boring though nice-enough clergyman husband, and Eugene Marchbanks, a poet whose fiery passion for her is, well, maybe a little too dramatic. Her final decision may surprise you, but when you look at Shaw’s subtle critiques on domestic politics, the bigger picture becomes more complex.

Candida opens Friday, but you can catch previews at 2 and 8 p.m. Wednesday and at 8 p.m. Thursday at Palm Beach Dramaworks, located at 322 Banyan Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Tickets cost $36 on Wednesday and Thursday, $59 on Friday, and then $47 until the play ends November 21. Call 561-514-4042, or visit palmbeachdramaworks.org.
Wed., Oct. 6, 2 & 8 p.m.; Wednesdays-Sundays. Starts: Oct. 6. Continues through Nov. 21, 2010

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