Women Without Men

Women Without Men is playing at the City Center Stage II located at 131 West 55th Street. It runs two hours with one intermission. The play closes on March 26, 2016.

The play was written by Hazel Ellis in 1938.

Women Without Men takes place in the teachers sitting-room at Malyn Park Private School in 1937.

Six teachers come in and out of the room complaining about something or one of the other teachers. This is Jean Wade (Emily Walton) first year of teaching. Jean is engaged.

Ruby Ridgeway (Kate Midleton) is working at the table. Margaret Willoughby (Aedin Maloney) is always complaining. Mademoiselle Vernier (Dee Pelletier) goes out of her way to be nice to everyone. Miss Connor (Kellie Overbey) is clutching a case. She announces to everyone the book she has been writing for twenty years is almost done. Marjorie Strong t tells Jean it better to keep to herself. She is the only on to stay away from all the bickering.

The head mistress of the school Miss Newcome (Joyce Cohen) comes in to tell the teachers what has to be done.

Matron ( school nurse) Mrs. Hubbert (Amelia White) is concern about the children who are sick.

Most of the teachers live at the school with only a ½ day off.

An incident happens which has a bad effect on one of the teachers.

You have to see the show to know what happen and to whom.

Three students come into the room with Miss Wades permission to practice their part in a play they are doing for the school. Phyllis Conaway (Beatrice Tulchin), Dorothy Benson (Shannon Harrington) and Peggy Summers (Alexa Shae Niziak) are the students. Peggy is the trouble making.

It is slow in the beginning but builds up as the play progresses. It makes you think about the characters. This is a time when women did not have careers, they married and had children. Maybe they were lashing out at each other out of frustration because they thought the job was temporary and ended up being a life time job. They have no life, over worked an under paid.

Each actress shines. Especially outstanding were Emily Watson and Alexa Shae Niziak.

The set was great. It was done by Vicki R Davis. So were the costumes done by Martha Hally. I wouldn’t mind wearing them now. Everyone connected with the show is female.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich.

Photos by Annazor.

To read a candid interview with the cast, scroll down to the left for recent photos. Click on recent photos for this and other shows.