PLAY REVIEW: (the) woman ★★★

Jane Upton’s (the) Woman feels like opening a wound you already knew was there, but hoping it will heal itself in the telling; it certainly doesn’t shy away from the messy truths, covering motherhood, identity, creative ambition, exhaustion, but the play doesn’t always keep its footing. 

Some scenes feel repetitive, circling around the same doubts and fears without offering new insight; others strain under the weight of their own confessions. The structure, which switches between “real life” and the play‑within‑a‑play that the protagonist M is writing, has potential, but sometimes the transitions jar and dilute the emotional punch, especially when they are so far and few between.

In terms of performance, Lizzy Watts as M delivers with heart: you believe her anger, her fatigue, her longing. The supporting cast do competent work, though some of the sharper edges of the writing feel softened in performance; we see the intentions, but less consistently the impact. The design, lighting, sound are all serviceable; occasionally striking, though not always sufficient to rescue weaker moments. 

Overall, (the) Woman  is an earnest, necessary piece of theatre. It won’t feel perfect, as there are lulls, redundancy, and unevenness, but it has enough emotional truth to make it worth seeing. If you’re interested in motherhood, identity or the tension between self and family, this production will give you something to chew on, even if it doesn’t leave you fully satisfied.