The World’s Wife
It’s often a good idea to go into a show oblivious to everything but its name, time and location. Aside from making you feel like a Fringe hitman, sent information written on match boxes, this also allows you to soak up a show without any pre-conceived grudges or preferences. This is probably a luxury any paying Fringe goer would avoid. World’s Wife, a monologue of adapted poems by Carol Ann Duffy, benefits from a lack of prior reading. For such a controversial poet, the World’s Wife is a very down to earth and thoughtful tour through time, where we meet the wives of famous men. Queen Herod, Mrs Faust and Mrs Darwin are just a few of the spouses who spring forth through the ether. Each is acted to the highest degree by the talented and diverse Linda Marlowe, who effortlessly moves from strutting sexuality to quiet introspection. A very strong performance.
The sketches themselves range from punchy humour to more poignant pieces. In the often muddled logic of feminism, however, it’s odd that the otherwise obscure or non-existent wife’s of famous men are used rather than the lives of famous women. It’s ironic that our only references to the women throughout the play are through the male characters.
A strong performance from Marlowe, in a constantly entertaining show which is both cause for laughter and reflection.
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