An Ideal Husband - Royal Exchange - 17/12/07 by Kashif Naveed

I have to admit dear readers that I was quite wary of this season’s offering from the Royal Exchange given that they have managed to walk that tightrope between sentimentality and over-egging the Christmas pudding in yuletide’s gone by with distinction. Perhaps it was me that thought their choice of Oscar Wilde’s The Ideal Husband was a brave one but I am happy to say that my fears were to prove quite groundless.

I have always found Wilde’s penchant for the hoi polloi of society at the turn of the last century and what shenanigans they got up to a little lost in this day and age. This is certainly the case in the initial stages of Braham Murray’s direction of Wilde’s political comedy that evolves around blackmail and corruption. After all given the opulence of the set that was presented before us, the initial scenes that involved an almost ambassadorial pageant replete with lords and viscounts, it seemed to not have struck the right chord.

Yet, despite its settings and other trappings the simplicity of its plot was able to shine through and leave the audience on tenterhooks. Admittedly being penned by Wilde the play is full of the wit you would come to expect from the Irish playwright. Indeed, Wilde does not let a moment pass whereby he doesn’t retort to some witticism intended to leave the audience in complete and utter rapture.

However, enough of the critique of the play itself, the performance was completely and utterly sumptuous. The plot is devoid of any complexity and concerns Sir Robert Chiltern, who is a successful politician, wealthy and full of integrity. Nonetheless, all this is threatened when Mrs. Cheveley appears in London with damning evidence of his past. Sir Robert turns for help to his friend Lord Goring, an apparently idle philanderer and the cornerstone of the play itself.

Bringing these characters to life is a fine array of actors, who as an ensemble barely seem to put a foot wrong. Simon Robson seems to capture the vulnerability of Chiltern exceptionally well, whilst Rae Hendrie excels with a fine performance as his upstanding wife Gertrude. Jeffery Wickham performs stoutly as the Earl of Caversham, Claudia Renton plays the flighty Mabel Chiltern to a tee whilst Milo Twomey is completely enchanting as the lovable rogue Lord Goring.

I could continue with the whole cast, listing their wondrous suitability to the characters that they play. Indeed, it is not just that their delivery is so adroit, but the majority of the cast seem to capture the look, feel and essence of the character that they are portraying. Furthermore the dynamics of the Royal Exchange only serve to add to their presentation, as the audience get close and personal to the play.

Wilde’s simple story of political intrigue combined with an absolutely staggering set of performances make this a truly wondrous offering at this time of year.