A wonderfully creative and ambitious pace, performed with conviction by a young cast.Summary
Rating
Excellent
Wilde is an original new musical from Hampshire based youth theatre company Tír na nÓg. A very ambitious piece of theatre, it is inspired by the biography The Tragic Scandalous Life of Mrs Oscar Wilde by Franny Moyle. The tale is brought to life with conviction by a group of highly talented and versatile young actors – the youngest being only eight years old – who I later learned had actually scripted and composed many of the scenes and songs themselves. The piece is supported by actual extracts from Constance Wilde’s letters, by kind permission of Merlin Holland.
The story is by no means an easy one and there are many youth theatre companies who might have shied away from the challenging themes explored in the piece. All credit to Tír na nÓg for embracing this and for the courage of its performers to tackle situations of difficult and raw emotion, demonstrating real maturity for those so young. The audience are transported along Constance and Oscar’s timeline from their happy nuptials to their children being born, to the darker times of Oscar committing adultery and ending up in prison for his crimes. Light relief is found along the way in the moments of storytelling depicting the narratives of Oscar Wilde’s best known children’s tales.
The hour long piece follows our protagonist Constance Wilde, played by Annabelle Baker who offers a very strong portrayal of the character, with powerful emotional depth, vulnerability and superb vocals too. Miles Dayekh supports most effectively as the scandalous Oscar Wilde and the pair build a very believable bond, with Miles also demonstrating great vocal capabilities. There are some beautiful moments of stagecraft and ensemble. The scene using synchronised origami birds is most effective as is the shadow puppetry sequence, adding a fantasy-like aura to the moments of storytelling from within the piece. Another stand out performance is from Cassie McCoubrey as Mary Atkinson amongst other characters, with super conviction demonstrated from this young performer as well.
Scenery consists simply of a line of lights along the back wall and a well utilised chair. Costume is fitting for the era and it is refreshing to see a young company preforming a period piece. Lighting and sound also complement the piece well and help amplify the moments of tension between Oscar and Constance.
This is a wonderfully creative and ambitious work which is executed with great conviction by the young cast, and additionally a fantastic opportunity for the young people to partake in the whole crafting process of the piece.
Book Music and Lyrics by Annabelle Baker, Indigo Barnett, Miles Dayekh, Tegan Douglas, Sean Jardine, Elaine Morgan, Mathew Morgan, Sophie O’Dell and Millie Stuart
Produced by Tir na nog Theatre Company: Elaine Mogan, Matthew Morgan, Millie Stuart
Directed and Choreographed by Elaine Morgan and Millie Stuart
Wilde plays at The Space @Niddry Street until Saturday 9 August.
