The Constant Wife

I can’t help it if you were careless with your cigarette case. I was extremely careful with your heart

Constance has everything. A loving family, a beautiful home, a fulfilling career, and a husband as devoted to her as he is to his mistress. When her perfect set up is threatened, Constance fights back but refuses to play by the rules. Can she withstand society’s expectations? And can society withstand the force of a woman determined to do things her own way?

Laura Wade (Posh, Rivals) reunites with RSC Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey (Pericles) after their Olivier Award-winning collaboration, Home, I’m Darling, to reimagine Somerset Maugham’s subversive comedy, The Constant Wife, in a sparkling new version.

This edition was published to coincide with the RSC production at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in June 2025.

Laura Wade is a Olivier award winning playwright and screenwriter. Her plays include The Watsons (Chichester Festival Theatre and Menier Chocolate Factory), Home, I’m Darling (Theatr Clwyd, National Theatre and West End), Posh (Royal Court Theatre and West End), Tipping the Velvet (Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith), and Alice (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield).