The Provoked Wife

“What cloying meat is love when matrimony’s the sauce to it?”

Bristol’s Stepping Out Theatre offer a dry look at marriage with this unique immersive production of Sir John Vanbrugh’s 1697 Restoration comedy in the beautiful setting of his own (later) design, the 18th-century Kings Weston House on the outskirts of Bristol.

A Heritage Lottery Fund project, the play is being performed in the very house that the playwright himself designed. The Provoked Wife was penned by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1697, one of several plays written before he switched careers and became an architect instead. Kings Weston House is one of his designs, as is Blenheim Palace.

Pic: Adam Gasson / adamgasson.com

Audience members will be treated to an immersive piece of theatre that uses the magnificent house at the core of the performance. Upon entry, before the play has even begun, guests will arrive and take in the splendour of this house, with its magnificent ceilings, marble fireplaces and stunning suspended central staircase. Actors will be coming out of paintings and from behind statues, getting people into the swing of the evening.

The play has been given a modern treatment, keeping with the spirit of the original, but adding more music and dancing. Audiences can expect a sumptuous blend of baroque and Latin American music, which director Briony Waite says ‘go surprisingly well together’. The costumes will be based on Restoration clothes, but have been given a touch of spice to lend a party feel.

Imagine lots of frothy lace and tulle to reflect Vanbrugh’s interior at Kings Weston House, but with a lot of ladies’ underwear plus a pinch of the Hellfire Club!

Sir John Vanbrugh believed that “the stage is a glass for the world to view itself in; people ought therefore to see themselves as they are; if it makes their faces too fair, they won’t know they are dirty, and by consequence will neglect to wash ‘em.”

Audiences can enjoy an extremely entertaining and wry look at themselves via the cast of actors who will be holding up the figurative mirrors and pulling the audience into an experience they will never forget.

On Saturday 18th November there is a very special celebration gala dinner with a surprise celebrity guest. Guests can enjoy a Restoration-themed sit down meal in the stunning Baroque dining room at 5.30pm. Tickets for this cost just £30 and can be tied in with either the matinee or evening performance.

Bristol’s Central Library are also running an exhibition throughout November giving insight into the history of Vanbrugh and Kings Weston House. Some of the actors from the show will be staffing this to really bring the past to life.

Stepping Out Theatre is a charity that helps people experiencing mental illness. Founded in 1997, the company has helped thousands of mental health service users, empowering them to connect with the arts and the wider community. Patron Mark Rylance says; “If you want to hear something true, go and hear what Stepping Out Theatre are saying.”

The productions feature a mix of professional actors and talented service users.

Tickets for the play are £12 or £10 for concessions. The gala dinner on Nov 18 is £30 – tickets for the matinee or evening performance need to be bought separately.

Tue-Sat 7.30pm plus Sats  2.30pm, £12/£10 concs. For more info, visit www.steppingouttheatre.co.uk