The Rolls-Royce of English comedies, this entertaining and still topical play brings an act of political sin into the heart of the English home.
An Ideal Husband
Theater

emma rice theatre company presents
Dreamlike, music-fuelled, and wickedly murderous. Multi-award-winning Emma Rice brings her theatrical sleight of hand to this spine-tingling folktale. When the sinister magician Blue Beard woos his bride by sawing her in half on stage, little does she know it’s a sign of things to come. After their wedding, she stumbles upon a forbidden chamber filled with the bodies of his previous wives. Will she be his next ex? Or can she bring the curtain down on this serial husband? Emma Rice’s wildly inventive reimagining of Charles Perrault's 1667 horror tale boldly celebrates female empowerment while blending disco music, sharp comedy, and tender truths. Prepare to be spellbound—and terrified.
“Emma Rice’s wildly inventive production transforms Charles Perrault's grim folktale into an intoxicating, music-fueled feminist revenge story. Far from a standard fairytale, this production brilliantly blends sharp comedy, cabaret, and spine-tingling horror to celebrate female empowerment, survival, and the fierce strength of sisterhood. It is a defiant, deeply moving piece of theater that directly confronts modern conversations around consent and male violence, leaving audiences thoroughly spellbound and deeply changed.”
— Marquee TV Content Curator