How To Create The Perfect Wife......

Since the beginning of time many a man has tried to create the perfect wife, but all have given up or died trying. Back in the seventeenth century, playwright Moliere perplexed by this exact concept wrote about his dilemma.  Considered to be one of his best achievements, "The School For Wives" was originally staged in 1662 at Palais Royal Theatre in Paris for the brother of the King.  It was considered edgy and controversial at the time yet has long outlived it's creator.

Last night we went out on the town and enjoyed some live entertainment in Panama City.  With our pensionado discount the price of $15 for each ticket turned into a two-for-one.  And since a friend of ours was one of the actors in the play it made it even more special to watch.  Below is my synopsis of the play.

Every man dreams of finding the perfect wife.  A woman who can cook, sew, clean and tend to his every need. She would be beautiful, a bit naive and have eyes only for her master, the king of her castle. But in the event that fate doesn’t send one his way perhaps a man could create his own?

This is the premise behind Moliere’s play,  “The School For Wives.”  Presented by The Theatre Guild Of Ancon this light-hearted comedy is a modern adaptation of the play originally staged in 1662. 

The main character Arnolphe is a wealthy, conniving old kook who’s convinced that the only way to find a faithful wife is to train one.  He finds a young lass named Agnes who he sends off to a convent to be schooled in the ways of wifery.  The education he pays for is absent from any real knowledge since he wants his wife to be innocent and lacking in the ways of the world.  As soon as Agnes is of marrying age he summons her to his castle where she’s held captive, unbeknownst to her. But one day Agnes happens to step outside on her balcony and has a chance encounter with a man passing by.  Since this ignorant, fair maiden has no idea that she’s betrothed to Arnolphe, she innocently falls in love with the other man.   

Outraged, Arnolphe tries everything to make the suitor disappear while he desperately tries to make Agnes his bride. The only thing the old kook doesn’t try is to woo her in the typical way, with romance, flowers and niceness. As he continues to organize the wedding an uncanny twist of events thwart his plans leading to an unlikely ending.  Perhaps the moral of the story is that good wives are born out of love and not created through trickery and deceit. 

Founded in 1950 by a group of Panamanian American citizens, The Theatre Guild of Ancon is the oldest continuously operating theatre in Panama.  Back on the old Canal Zone, this building housed a clinic to treat venereal disease.  If the walls could talk they’d probably have some good tales to tell. This non-profit organization offers a variety of stage productions in English every season.  Several actors started on this stage including Robert Loggia and Ruben Blades along with director Bruce Quinn.

We made it home late and exhausted because no trip to the city is complete without a stop at one of the many huge malls.  Some of our fabulous finds included a Marc Anthony suit jacket priced at $16.99 for Clyde.  He added a Beverly Hills Polo Club tie for $7.99 and a shirt for around the same price.  For me a denim skirt for $3.99, top for $1.99, two pairs of earrings for 99 cents each and some 79 cent clippies for my hair.  Gotta love clothes shopping in Panama since entire stores are full of cheap stuff, not just the occasional rack.  Still only one month out from my hysterectomy I get tired after walking for hours on days like yesterday. Some good strong Panama coffee helped us kick it up a notch and stay up past our bedtime to watch the play and drive home.  We fell into bed tired after another exhausting day of retirement in Panama....along the gringo trail.