The moment Eve bit into the apple from the Tree of Knowledge, the female of the species has been doomed – or so men like to tell us.

Since then, the patriarchy has preferred women to remain where they belong – in the kitchen and bedroom.

But across history, women have fought back. Eve is one of the trailblazers featured in Carmel Dean’s song cycle Well-Behaved Women. Dean took the ironic title from a comment made in 1976 by Pulitzer Prize-winning American historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich that “well-behaved women seldom made history”.

Stefanie Caccamo sings Mary Magdalene’s Only Girl at the Table, one of the highlights of Well-Behaved Women. Photo © Brett Boardman

Originally conceived as a concert at Joe’s Pub in New York, Michelle Guthrie Presents staged a production at the Hayes Theatre Co. in 2021 and now co-produces a mainstage season with Belvoir.

The fabulous Hayes cast – Stefanie Caccamo, Zahra Newman, Elenoa Rokobaro and Ursula Yovich – has returned, alongside director Blazey Best, though a new design team and band has come on board.

The Belvoir production is performed on a sleek, shiny black set with a raised platform....