Scorn is a shortening of Old French escarn, of Germanic origin. The phrase hell hath no fury like a woman scorned is a version of a line in William Congreve's 1697 play The Mourning Bride : âHeav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd, Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'dâ.
Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley. Two hours, 30 minutes. $20-$58. (415) 388-5208. www.marintheatre.org. The passions in August Wilson's musical dialogue reach peaks of operatic intensity in the Marin Theatre Company Fences that opened Tuesday.
Finished in 2005, only months before the playwright's tragic death at the age of 60, the cycle stands as one of the foremost achievements in the American theater. The original Broadway production of Fences opened in 1987. It earned 4 Tony Awards that year, including Best Play and Best Actor for James Earl Jones (in the role now being tackled by Mr. Washington).