Coutesy of Chris Bennion (Left to right) The cast in Kyle Donnelly's production of W. Somerset Maugham's clever comedy, “The Constant Wife,” featured at Seattle Repertory Theatre. Directed by Kyle Donnelly, The Constant Wife begins previews April 2, opens April 6 and plays through May 1 in the Bagley Wright Theatre. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Seattle Repertory Theatre box office at (206) 443-2222 or online at www.seattlerep.org

John and Constance have been married 15 years.

To their friends and family on the outside, the two appear to have the perfect marriage. John is a wealthy doctor, and Constance a witty, beautiful wife.

But the audience soon learns that things are not as ideal as they appear.

Written and set in the 1920's, Seattle Repertory Theater's "The Constant Wife" humorously explores the social state of marriage in the early 20th century.

Writer W. Somerset Maugham, who, after finishing medical school, abandoned his profession to pursue writing, delighted London audiences with his entertaining take on marriage among upper class citizens, according to the Seattle Reparatory Theatre.

By the time he wrote "The Constant Wife" Maugham was considered one of the best playwrights in history, often compared to Shakespeare.

"The Constant Wife," consequently opened to great anticipation at the Seattle Reparatory Theatre. The play shocked viewers in the '20s, but there was no way to know if the play would have such a thrilling effect on today's audiences.

And certainly, as a media-savvy 21st century audience learns of John's affair with Constance's best friend, there must be a lesser degree of shock.

Director Kyle Donnelly agrees, writing that she believed the play "must have been much more shocking then [in the '20s]."

The real interest of the play, however, is not the affair itself, but the unexpected way in which Constance deals with marital infidelity.

Courtesy of Chris Bennion (L to right) Jonathan Fried as John Middleton , Ellen Karas as Constance Middleton and Mark Elliot Wilson as Bernard Kersal in Kyle Donnelly's production of W. Somerset Maugham's clever comedy, “The Constant Wife,” featured at Seattle Repertory Theatre. Directed by Kyle Donnelly, The Constant Wife begins previews April 2, opens April 6 and plays through May in the Bagley Wright Theatre. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Seattle Repertory Theatre box office at (206) 443-2222 or online at www.seattlerep.org

The play opens to Constance's friends and family learning of the affair from a friend. They ponder the best way to tell Constance, but their overly obvious hints appear to fall on deaf ears.

The interplay between Constance's mother and sister give the audience a taste of the differing opinions regarding marital infidelity during the early 20th century.

Constance's mother, Mrs. Culiver, is a traditionalist, believing that men ought to be held to a different standard of faithfulness than women. And, she believes, if a man is unfaithful to his wife, it is her own fault for not being more interesting.

Constance's sister, Martha, sees John as an absolute scumbag, insisting that Constance be directly informed of the affair that she might take her revenge.

Mrs. Culiver tries to explain to her daughter that men are naturally inclined to such behavior asking, "do you really blame him very much if he strays now and again from the path of virtue?"

But Mrs. Culiver makes it clear that women ought to be held to a higher standard in regards to their marriage vows.

During their conversation, Constance's good friend Marie Louise, whom the group has just discovered to be John's mistress, enters the room.

From here on out, the play consists of the interesting and often comical interplay between the characters as they all carefully dance around the truth.

The most shocking revelation of the play comes as the audience, along with the characters, discover that Constance has known about the affair all along, and seems to simply not care.

The superb acting of Constance (Ellen Karas) and her husband John (Jonathan Fried) adds even more to the already fascinating plotline. Their ability to bring their characters to life, to demonstrate the uniqueness of their personalities, makes the somewhat outrageous script seem hilariously realistic.

Fried's character swings from a put-together, man-of-the-house type doctor, to a confused boy crying on his knees, begging to have his way. Karas's character offers an interesting contrast in her barely wavering emotions and constant good attitude.

The creative way that Constance chooses to deal with the affair is so surprising because it flies in the face of social norms. And through her unusual actions, the audience learns something about the place of women in society during this time period, and really about how little things have actually changed.

However, Maugham is out to entertain, not to change society. The audience should not expect to leave this play with any sort of revelation about feminism or about marriage. The audience should simply expect to have fun.

Whether or not you agree with Constance's decisions, the play still offers an entertaining evening, and the Seattle Reparatory Theater is, as usual, well worth the time and money to see.