An Ideal Husband Was Fun and Clever
My family and I saw the Burloak Theatre Group performance of An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde and let me tell you, it was a real treat!
The play is a “comedy of manners” meaning it makes fun of the upper class. There was wit and satire, and it was all set in the late 1800s. The best part? The actors were all dressed in period costumes, making the whole experience feel authentic.
The sets featured fancy drawing rooms filled with intricate details that really make you feel like you were in the late Victorian era.
And the performances? Incredible. We all loved the hilariously irreverent Viscount Goring played by Rikki Wright.
“I always pass on good advice. It is the only thing to do with it. It is never of any use to oneself.” (Viscount Goring)
And we watched how our “ideal husband,” Sir Robert Chiltern (played by Mark Ellis), agonizes over his rather unenviable situation. What does he do? The audience is in suspense.
“Ah, I forgot, your husband is an exception. Mine is the general rule, and nothing ages a woman so rapidly as having married the general rule.” (Lady Markby)
I was particularly amused how the crowd chuckled and pretended at shock each time there were references to the role of a wife. (To forgive her husband, yadda yadda yadda). I was so glad Burloak Theatre Group left those parts in because it reminds us of the attitudes at that time.
But the real takeaway from the play was how relevant it still is today. At home after the show, one of my teenagers began a conversation about morality and the kinds of unethical things successful businesses do order to succeed. His question, “Can a business truly become one of the top businesses in its field without resorting to corruption and deception?”
So, even though this play was written over a hundred years ago, it’s still totally relatable. The play talks about political corruption and power, and how it can corrupt people. It also touches on morality and the consequences of our actions. It’s a really thought-provoking play. I highly recommend seeing it.