By Ari Natalya Wuthrich
The cast of the swashbuckling romantic comedy 'Rule a Wife, Have a Wife,' fully intends to bring a little action to Provo.
The play opens Friday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Margetts Theatre at BYU.
'The very title of this play makes one shiver,' said Director Eric Samuelsen. 'How many married men today would want to claim that they rule their wives and suggest unrighteous dominion?'
'Wife' is a double love story placed in early-19th-century California. The play revolves around two marriages. The first, involving Margarita and Don Leon, played by Jennifer Leigh and Matthew Bellows, is based on trust and mutual service.
The second marriage displays a different kind of equality because Estifania and Don Miguel Perez, played by Heidi Reed and Daryl A. Ball, have no reason to trust one another.
One of Shakespeare''s contemporaries and greatest rivals, John Fletcher, created the play, which is considered the model that modern-day romantic comedies are based on. Samuelsen adapted the play for BYU and local audiences.
The play involves a witty script, several sword fights, and audience participation, said Samuelsen.
'At an early point in the play when Don Leon is exasperated by Margarita, he says, ''A wife is a servant,''' Samuelsen said. 'Later he has a truer perspective and says, ''I''ll be your servant.'' The play suggests that in a marriage you serve each other.'
Ball, a recent graduate from BYU, plays lead Don Miguel Perez. He also choreographed the sword fighting scenes that Samuelsen wrote into the play for added excitement. These scenes are what sold Reed, who plays Estifania, on participating in the play because they added a creative twist.
The cast described the play as a mix between 'The Mask of Zorro,' and the 'Taming of the Shrew,' emphasizing that it will be a 'crowd pleaser.'
'It''s fun because it shows how to have a real relationship that works,' said Leigh.
Tickets are $12 with a $3 discount with a BYU or student ID, and are available in the Fine Arts Ticket Office.
Half-priced preview performances will be Wednesday and Thursday, May 14 and 15. There will be a matinee Saturday, May 24, at 2 p.m.