The Fat Man's Wife

Written by Tennessee Williams in 1938, The Fat Man's Wife remained unproduced until 2004, when it opened in New York. Now, Canal Café Theatre presents its UK premiere.

On New Year’s Eve 1938, Vera, a sophisticated Manhattan socialite (played by Emma Taylor), and her husband Joe, an influential theatre producer, return home after attending a party. Although Joe is well known as a philanderer, he is disgruntled that a young playwright, Dennis, has paid particular attention to Vera throughout the night. Unbeknown to Joe, Dennis visits Vera to beg her to run away with him and she is forced to make the difficult choice between her new passion and her existence as the ‘fat man’s wife’.

The play was ahead of its time, dealing with a middle-aged woman trapped in a loveless marriage and tempted by a younger man. Vera was the first on-stage ‘cougar’!

At the beginning of 2014, when we have all made our resolutions and reflected on our past, we meet Vera and Dennis as they decide what they should do now...

Tennessee Williams had an irrefutable talent for writing short plays and this is a golden opportunity to see one of his lesser-known works. Excitingly, this is also the first time that Canal Café Theatre’s intimate space will present in ‘Traverse’ style, making use of the original features of the venue - embracing the space, rather than hiding it.

The Fat Man’s Wife is directed by Russell Lucas, whose sophisticated direction earned him recent praise for Julie Madly Deeply.