‘An Ideal Husband’

THEATRE REVIEW BY YEAR 9 STUDENT HANNAH WEAVER

I must admit that I was not expecting to enjoy the performance of ‘An Ideal Husband’ when I visited Chichester Festival Theatre on 2nd December. However, I was rewarded with an excellent night’s entertainment that not only completely exceeded my expectations but left me feeling disappointed it was over so soon.

‘An Ideal Husband’ is an 1895 comedic stage play by Oscar Wilde. It follows the marriage of Lady Chiltern and Sir Robert; with Sir Robert playing the title role. It is a story of blackmail and political corruption surrounding Lady Cheveley, Sir Robert, Lady Chilton and Lord Goring. The play took place in a contemporary London setting and is set over a twenty-four hour period.

Notwithstanding the serious thread of blackmail and intrigue running through the play, it was awash with humour. Despite being aimed at an adult audience and being written almost one hundred and twenty years ago, the show still remained fresh and had jokes that I understood and found funny.

The plot was engaging and maintained my interest with numerous plots twists embedded throughout. The actors played their parts exceedingly well, with my favourites characters being Lord Goring, played by Jamie Glover, and Lady Markby, played by Patricia Routeledge.

Lord Goring was self-assured, witty and had by far the funniest lines. I saw him as the “class clown” with his self-deprecating jokes and always thinking that he talked a load of nonsense. He was admired among the ladies in the play for his witty sense of humour, his good looks and suave dress.

However, in my opinion Lady Cheveley was the main character of the play. She first appears in the opening scene, accompanying Lady Markby to Lady Chilton’s party. You seem to know from the start that she’s bad news but you cannot put your finger on why. As the play progresses you see that she decides to wreak havoc in Sir Robert’s life by threatening to expose his past exploits in the political world, which would ruin his career, if he does not support one of her projects.

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable play, one that exceeded my expectations dramatically and left me wondering what else I had been missing out on. With an engaging plot, funny characters and beautiful scenery, what is not to like about ‘An Ideal husband’?

By
Hannah Weaver
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