The Women at Center Stage Theatre

The Women is a comedy of manners by Clare Boothe Luce.

The play is an acerbic commentary on the pampered lives and power struggles of various wealthy Manhattan socialites and up-and-comers and the gossip that propels and damages their relationships. While men frequently are the subject of their lively discussions and play an important role in the action on-stage, they are strictly characters mentioned but never seen.

The original Broadway production, directed by Robert B. Sinclair, opened on December 26, 1936 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, where it ran for 657 performances with an all-female cast that included Arlene Francis, Ilka Chase, and Marjorie Main.

Authors

• Clare Boothe Luce