Oscar Wilde is famous for two things; being gay and being funny. Being a lesbian who likes funny, I was seriously looking forward to seeing An Ideal Husband at The Abbey Theatre.

The play centres around Sir Robert Chiltern, who is a rising young star in British politics. He seems to be the titular idea, however he has a secret. Said secret comes back to potentially ruin his marriage to Gertrude, a woman who has him on a moral pedestal, not to mention his career which could be in tatters.

Sir Robert’s best friend, Lord Goring, is the typical Wildean character; uttering such lines as “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance” and “vulgarity is simply the conduct of other people”. He is an absolute joy as, when the play develops, so does his character. He begins as the dandy, entertaining all who surround him and ends the play as a hero, a man with a definite concept of right and wrong.

An Ideal Husband can be enjoyed on a surface level. However, go in with the knowledge of what happened to Oscar Wilde and it becomes something much more intriguing. Oscar loved his wife dearly. Indeed he often said the greatest tragedy of hs life was what the Bosie scandal did to her. He was a devoted husband and father, but with a dirty secert just like Sir Robert in An Ideal Husband.

The flippant nuggets Lord Goring spouts with an air of frivolity, are weighty with the pain Wilde was feeling. It is telling that a couple of the most famous lines of the play are; “One’s past is what one is. It is the only way by which people should be judged” and “We have all to pay for what we do”.

So, it is a bitter sweet play, hilarious yet poignant.

This production is without reproach. The acting is top notch and no money has been spared on costume and design, but it is the direction which really took my breath away. The transition between acts is a joy, with stage hands dressed as maids changing the scenery as a butler watches over them. It’s a real treat accompanying a play which is a delight in itself.

An Ideal Husband continues until September 27 at The Abbey.

Links (open in new window):

An Ideal Husband

The Abbey Theatre

Oscar Wilde

Pic used is from the Abbey’s website; no infringement is intended. If it needs to come down, just let me know and it shall be done.

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