As the young newlywed of King Henry II of France, Catherine de Medici thought her life at court would be a fascinating forum of political discourse. Instead, the palace is a cruel and disturbing place where her singular function is to be a baby-making machine for male heirs. Even the other women at her side, a scheming lady-in-waiting and the king’s power-hungry mistress, seem to mostly fend for themselves. The only kinship she finds is with the paperback-romance hot, head-to-toe hairy wildman kept in the dungeon as one of the king’s collection of caged oddities. His friendly and feral presence gradually awakens Catherine’s own wild side, and once she unleashes it, no one is safe from her vengeful wrath.

Based on the shocking true story that inspired Beauty and the Beast, Kat Sandler brings her trademark rapid-fire wit to this salacious saga of an infamous bad girl who could not be tamed. A viciously funny and sexy thrill ride, WILDWOMAN is about what happens when we let the monster out. Being bad never felt so good.

Kat Sandler is a writer, screenwriter, director, and the artistic director of Theatre Brouhaha. She has directed fourteen of her original plays, including the Dora Mavor Moore Award–nominated Bang Bang, the Toronto Best of Fringe hits Bright Lights, Punch Up, Help Yourself, and Delicacy, and Liver, Cockfight, and Retreat. Her play Mustard won the 2016 Dora Award for Outstanding New Play. She was the 2015 recipient of NOW Magazine’s Audience Choice Award for Best Director and Best Playwright. She is the Canada Council Playwright-in-Residence at Tarragon Theatre and is currently working on two television productions with Shaftsbury and eOne. Kat is a graduate of Queen’s University. She lives in Toronto.

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“There’s enough story and colourful, real-life characters to power a couple of seasons of a prestige TV costume drama.”

Glenn Sumi, The Toronto Star

“The play is wildly funny and seductive . . . the script is a fast-paced whirlwind that sucks you into its strange world and doesn’t let you go . . . Sandler’s play questions what it means to be a monster, and invites audiences to consider how power might itself be the monster. It is daring, seductive, and unafraid to be absolutely unhinged: you will laugh, and you will be shocked. If you love morally gray characters and a raunchy script, do not be afraid to let the monster out and go see WILDWOMAN.”

Andrea Perez, Intermission

“What ultimately makes WILDWOMAN work is Sandler's boldness in refusing to hold back . . . Everyone is at fault. Everyone is at blame. These characters are terrible and that's why we love them.”

Samantha Wu, BroadwayWorld