“What does it matter if we have free will or not, so long as we feel like we do?” Even in his understandably lesser-known works, Oscar Wilde was addressing profound currents of modern thought with the customary light touch and stylish wit that would seem to betray such depth. Trevor Baxter’s breezy stage adaptation of Wilde’s gleefully amoral and farcical 1891 short story manages to capture both the style and the substance, despite a few creaks in the production.
A murderous quest on the dubious evidence of a threat
After having his palm read by the clairvoyant Septimus Podgers (Gary Wilmot) on recommendation from his aunt Lady Windermere (Kate O’Mara), Lord Arthur Savile (Lee Mead) is foretold that he will murder an unidentified person at some point in his future. Fearing it will be his beloved wife-to-be Sybil, he decides, on some dubious logic, to murder someone and get it over with. His first target? His sweet old auntie Lady Clementina (Belinda Carroll).
A solid production in which director Christopher Luscombe manages to keep the lurid plot together with a fast pace and a neat balancing of laughs and savvy. There’s a slight awkwardness in the staging of the more dated elements; the actors in particular seem unsure whether to play it completely tongue-in-cheek or not. But thanks to standout turns from Wilmot as the cheeky clairvoyant and O’Mara’s expertly sardonic delivery, you can’t help but be charmed. The barrage of quirky supporting characters take centre-stage while Mead plays it with suitable modesty, his Lord Arthur quietly pursuing a murderous quest on the dubious evidence of a threat, a notion many here in the West may find resonance in.
Mon 22 – Sat 27 Feb
Box Office: 0131 529 6000
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