So what if Serge has acquired, from nowhere, a shrewish blond wife and a couple of kids?

NEWYORKER: Private Wars

Vanessa Williams, cast as her shrewish daughter-in-law, is boldly unafraid to be unlikable.

WSJ: Toward Eternity | The Trip to Bountiful | Theater Review by Terry Teachout

Liam Neeson plays Ethan, with Joan Allen as his shrewish wife, Zeena, and Patricia Arquette as Mattie Silver, who tempts him into tragedy.

NEWYORKER: Ethan Frome