''Domesticated'' is a 2013 comic-drama play from Bruce Norris. The play follows politician Bill Pulvar and his wife Judy as they navigate a sex scandal.

Production history

The play was commissioned by the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

Premiere

The play debuted in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

at the

Mitzi Newhouse Theater The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway theater in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Operated by the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater (LCT), the Beaumont is the only Broa ...

, directed by

Anna D. Shapiro Anna Davida Shapiro (born March 10, 1966) is an American theater director, was the artistic director of the Steppenwolf Theater Company, and a professor at Northwestern University. Throughout her career, she has directed both the Steppenwolf The ...

. It starred

Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum (; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films of his era, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and '' Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels. ...

as Bill, opposite

Laurie Metcalf Laura Elizabeth Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an American actress. Often described as a character actor, she's known for her complex and versitile roles across the stage and screen. She has received various accolades throughout her career sp ...

as Judy. Critics praised the performances of Goldblum and Metcalf, as well as the direction and staging of the play. The following year, the show was nominated for two

Lucille Lortel Awards The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...

recognising Norris for Outstanding Play and Metcalf for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play. The play also received three 2014

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

s, including Outstanding Play, and Outstanding Actress in a Play (for Metcalf), and Outstanding Director of a Play (for Shapiro).

Steppenwolfe Theatre Company

The play opened in Chicago in 2015, performed by the

Steppenwolf Theatre Company Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago theatre company founded in 1974 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry, and Gary Sinise in the Unitarian church on Half Day Road in Deerfield, Illinois and is now located in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood on ...

, and directed by Norris, the author.

Canadian Premiere

Toronto's The Company Theatre (TCT) brought ''Domesticated'' to Canadian Stage's Berkeley Street Theatre in 2015 for the production's Canadian premiere. A co-production between TCT and Canadian Stage, the play was directed by TCT's co-Artistic Director Philip Riccio. ''Domesticated'' saw TCT's largest cast since their 2009 production of ''Festen.'' Completing the cast were returning TCT ensemble members

Maria Vacratsis Maria Vacratsis (born July 28, 1955) is a Canadian actress. She has been featured in several Canadian television series, including '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'', ''Little Mosque on the Prairie'', ''Tactical Girls'', and '' Rent-a-Goalie''. In ...

, Sarah Dodd, as well as newcomers

Torri Higginson Sarah Victoria "Torri" Higginson (born December 6, 1969) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles in the ''TekWar'' movies and series, and for portraying Dr. Elizabeth Weir in ''Stargate SG-1'' and ''Stargate Atlantis'' (2004–20 ...

, Nicola Lipman,

Salvatore Antonio Salvatore Antonio is a Canadian actor and playwright. Early life He was born Salvatore Antonio Alessandro Migliore in Toronto, Ontario. He attended an enriched Arts programme at Unionville High School, and upon graduating he was one of 10 stu ...

, Akosua Amo-Adem, Kelly Mcnamee, Vanessa Smythe and Abigail Pew. The creative team was composed of set designer Nick Blais, lighting designer Kevin Lamotte, sound designer Thomas Ryder Payne, costume designer Ming Wong and projection designer Cameron Davis. Rounding out the team was returning TCT stage manager Michael Sinclair, in his third production with the company.

Reception

The play received mostly positive reviews for its humor and introspective treatment of gender issues, with some criticism for repetitiveness and a lack of development in its second act. Ben Brantley of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' gave the play a mixed review, saying that "you grasp the basic argument so early that you start to feel that the play doesn’t really develop as it goes along; it just gets louder."

References

{{reflist 2013 plays Plays about marriage Political plays