“A whirlwind tour through the life of a literary icon.”
Although he is universally remembered as a literary genius, Oscar Wilde led a fraught life. Celebrated for his extraordinary writing talent, Wilde is just as well known for his notorious trial and sentencing for ‘gross indecency’, otherwise known as homosexuality. His punishment of imprisonment and 2 years hard labour marked the end of his celebrated literary career, except for a single poignant poem, performed powerfully by Alastair Whatley in the second act of The Importance of being Oscar.
Closer to a lecture than a play, this one-man production follows the tumultuous life of Oscar Wilde, from his departure from his native Ireland to London, all the way to his death in a seedy Paris bedsit with unforgettably hideous magenta wallpaper. Rather than playing Wilde himself, Whatley talks his audience through significant events and relationships in the life of the poet, frequently pausing to recite a brief scene from a play or page from a letter.
The piece opens with a dedicated section to the playwright Micheál Mac Liammóir, and his magnificent prowess as the actor who first performed the play. Director Mike Fentiman describes Whatley as ‘dancing with the ghosts of both Mac Liammóir and Wilde’, as the audience hears stories from both of these revered writers.
Whatley gives a sublime performance, making the audience guffaw at well-known Wilde witticisms and giving us insight into lesser-known moments of levity from his various letters to lovers and friends. Although a powerful piece of writing, he does lose the audience somewhat in his reading of Wilde’s final poem, which does not deliver as well to a live audience as a scene from The Importance of being Earnest.
However, for the majority of the production, Whatley keeps us captivated, with little in the way of props or set pieces to help him. Despite the external noises of a bustling Piccadilly, the audience waits with baited breath to hear the outcome of the Wilde trial, even though we all know what it will be. Fetiman directs Whatley to perfection in this scene, as we watch the prosecutor, judge and two defendants battle it out in a Victorian courtroom.
Chris Davey has created an intimate and atmospheric lighting design, with soft spotlights and a gentle wash. Sound design by Barnaby Race is minimal but vital, providing us with the heart-wrenching final words of Wilde to his partner Robbie Ross.
Background knowledge and an interest in the writer is crucial to audience enjoyment of this work and thus for any fan of Oscar Wilde, this play will be an absolute delight.
Tickets are available here.