A sumptuous and ambitious revival of a classic that highlights its continued relevance.Rating
Excellent!
Negotiating the Escher-like stairs in The Lyric’s clumsy modernist foyer to reach Matcham’s exquisite, reconstructed Victorian interior for the opening performance of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, I hoped the architecture would not prove metaphorical for this modern revival of a Victorian play.
There was no need to worry. Director Nicholai La Barrie clearly understands Wilde’s somewhat prescient original direction that his play is set “In the present day”, and does not labour his direction nor label his work as an updating as such. A few contemporary nouns pepper the script, but elsewhere, La Barrie simply allows his all-Black cast and smart set to create a beautiful and cohesive world in which his characters can thrive. He demonstrates a deep understanding of the source material and a clear vision of the tonal world he is creating.
Wilde’s An Ideal Husband is a sophisticated concoction of political hypocrisy, romantic woes and moral fable laced with his iconic wit. This production marks the 100th anniversary of the last time it played at this theatre, and in La Barrie’s hands, the play is as contemporary and as relevant as it could possibly be.
Visually, the production is superb. Rajha Shakiry’s elegant set makes good use of the scale of The Lyric while inviting intimacy as the drama closes in. Act one’s sweeping staircase and translucent bead curtain create spaces that embody glamour but open up the public and private realms with authority. Characters glide fluidly between visible and concealed worlds.
Yet somehow the opening act struggles to take off in the way you’d expect. The pacing initially feels sluggish and much of the delivery somewhat flat: some of the cast appear to lack the ear for the musicality of Wilde’s language. There is humour, but it rises too often from the presentation rather than the precise wit embedded in the text itself: Wilde’s wit depends upon a collective social rhythm.
The evening changes noticeably with the increasing prominence of Jamael Westman’s Lord Goring. Played with camp flamboyance, Westman fully understands the cadences and tempo needed to bring the dialogue alive. His delivery brings much-needed energy and insight to the production and reveals the intelligence and modernity within the script. However, this creates an imbalance. Goring does have the lion’s share of the wit, but it begins to feel like he is the sole custodian of it, and equally sharp lines in the mouths of others in the cast are frequently missed and lost, creating a chasm between him and the rest of the ensemble.
Not everyone struggles. Tiwa Lade is outstanding as Mabel Chiltern, bringing playful mischief whenever she appears. The knowing chemistry with Westman lights up the stage. Elsewhere, Chilké Okonkwo’s Sir Robert Chiltern finds his voice with dramatic intensity when he turns the tables on Lady Chiltern with shocking sang froid: the audience audibly gasps at his angry audacity. Jeff Alexander’s Earl of Caversham is an equally well-judged tonal contrast: his exasperation is tangible.
Still, this remains an intelligent and highly entertaining revival, and one clearly embraced by its audience. La Barrie’s production is simultaneously reverential and daring, elegant and gutsy, demonstrating just how easily Wilde’s themes continue to flourish in such a fresh context.
Written by Oscar Wilde
Directed by Nicholai La Barrie
Set & Costume Design by Rajha Shakiry
Sound Design by Keynep Kepekli
Movement Direction by Alexzandra Sarmiento
A Lyric Hammersmith Theatre Production, in association with Bristol Old Vic
An Ideal Husband plays at The Lyric, Hammersmith until Saturday 6 June.
