Jack Sharkey as Cordelius
Turns out I’m not ready to say goodbye to this show just yet.
Several of the costumes for The Wayward Women were “reveals,” and the fact that Cordelius opened the show with this particular reveal was very… well, revealing. The Swiss nobleman had the most exposed legs of any character in our production (the quality of his legs are commented upon in the script), and seeing the costume for the first time immediately reminded me of ‘Pants roles’ (male roles written to be played by women), especially in Restoration era theater. Although such roles did often comment on gender and certainly provided more diverse opportunity for women, they were also very much written so male audience members might ogle a female performer’s legs. To have this not-so-subtly reversed in The Wayward Women was just one of the genius strokes executed by designer Delena Bradley.
In a beautiful contrast to this, there are only two characters whose legs are not exposed to some degree. The first is Flachel the pirate, whose skirt prevents this (and whose entrance is the show’s second “reveal” in as many minutes). The second is Aquiline, squire and would-be swashbuckler who plays the rakish role Cordelius might very well have expected to play himself in the story. The visual contrasts of the ‘lovers’ were palpable all over: short vs tall, dark-clothed and covered legs vs white-clothed and exposed legs, orange jerkin vs blue doublet, sword-belt vs cape, black knee-boots vs white elfin-shoes. Opposites attracted, but they did not make for a lasting courtship.
COSTUME by Delena Bradley
LIGHTING by Benjamin Dionysus
PHOTO by INDie Grant Productions, LLC