An Ideal Husband - Lyric Hammersmith ★★★★

Oscar Wilde is one of the biggest names in literature. His best-known play is probably ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, and his writing has undoubtedly made it into the Western Canon – a list that’s generally for pale, stale males. So, the question is how do you make Oscar Wilde’s ‘An Ideal Husband’ (1895) relatable, accessible and enjoyable to a modern audience? Well, Nicholai La Barrie’s reimagining at the Lyric Hammersmith is sure to entertain you.

The four-act play follows the relationship between tarnished politician Sir Robert Chiltern (Chiké Okonkwo) and his ‘ideal wife’ Lady Chiltern/Gertrude (Tamara Lawrance). For a charity gala, the mischievous and deceptive Mrs Cheveley (Aurora Perrineau) flies from Washington to find Robert and blackmail him, as she has a letter proving that he built his fortune by selling a government secret. He is then forced to buy into a swindling canal scheme for Mrs Cheveley so he can keep his secret and protect his marriage, confiding in the flamboyant peacekeeper Viscount Goring/Arthur (Jamael Westman, winner of The Emerging Talent Award). At the peak of tension, Lady Chiltern discovers her husband’s secrets and refuses to forgive him, shattering her worldview and perceived ‘ideal husband’. After more lies and deception, Arthur reveals his previous affair with Mrs Cheveley and foils her, revealing her criminal past, blackmailing her into returning the incriminating letter. By the end, love is found, marriages are restored and forgiveness rules.

Wilde’s writing is built on political corruption and blackmail – themes that are unfortunately timeless on our global stage. However, Nicholai La Barrie uproots our preconceived ideas of what a Wilde play should be, allowing the story to speak for itself by updating the timeline. With an all-Black cast and barrels of energy, La Barrie creates a political landscape within this production that is unapologetically opulent. Yes, blackmail and deception drive Wilde’s plot, but La Barrie focuses on themes of love, connection, celebration, and what it means to truly commit to somebody – flaws and all. In doing this, he opens up a brand new discussion about the politics of love and what that means for today’s audiences. In a way, La Barrie is bold enough to strip this story back to what it truly is: a scandalous situation built to entertain. To do this, he must modernise, rather than squeeze the story back into its small Victorian box.

Chiké Okonkwo as Sir Robert Chiltern delivers a line whilst monologuing about his flawed past that may strike a chord for modern men operating in late stage capitalism and the manosphere. He says he was 20 years old, young, and won over by ‘the temptation of success as an absolute, definite science […] as well as the philosophy of power’. If this production was full of frills and violins and candlelit corridors, perhaps this line would get lost amongst Wilde’s other chewy expositions on society and philosophy. However, Okonkwo’s heartfelt delivery and La Barrie’s shameless modernisation of this entire play allow moments like this to stand out and live on.

For the most part, the acting in this production is divine. Most actors embrace their roles, fully realising their character in terms of today’s society. Tiwa Lade as Mable Chiltern – the provocative, extravagant sister of Sir Robert – is a real scene-stealer. She is consistently hilarious, her wide-eyed but clever deadpan is effortlessly lovable, and everybody enjoys a quirky side character. Also, Emmanuel Akwafo’s multi-rolling is a joy to watch. He embodies two opposing characters with ease. His first appearance as a fed-up butler Mason, is silent but deadly in his comedy; his second appearance as Arthur’s camp and gossiping butler is equally hilarious despite a massive change in character. Akwafo and Lade are two side characters who truly understand the importance of comedic relief in a play like this.

What slightly lets this production down is its lack of punch in the main plot between Mrs Cheveley and Sir Robert. Mrs Cheveley is a manipulative, deceptive criminal who is trying to gain power over a well-respected politician. However, Aurora Perrineau’s embodiment of this character seems timid; her scheming seems to have zero initial effect on Sir Robert’s marriage despite his wife expressing pain and betrayal. At the turning point, it takes too long for the tension in Robert and Gertrude’s marriage to really build to a climax. Perrineau as Mrs Cheveley has a towering presence and stern exterior, but the delivery of her lines feels small and monotonous compared to the explosion of energy around her. Because of this, she’s unbelievable as a criminal mastermind with a passion for stealing and lying, and lacks the grit that Mrs Cheveley requires. There is nothing particularly wrong about this character choice, simply that it means the play becomes more of a rom-com than a political commentary, as the primary plot becomes secondary when the villain does not seem… that villainous. Overall, La Barrie’s An Ideal Husband offers all the fun, comedy and celebration that you want from a night at the Lyric, but the play could have seemed a lot more scandalous if the villain were braver in offsetting the comedy.

Technically, Rajha Shakiry’s design aids Wilde’s plot very well and plays a huge role in modernising this writing. The stage floor is laid out like a chess board, and the stage feels open and minimal in its colour scheme to allow the vibrant patterns and colours that are woven into most costumes to breathe. Shakiry’s design and Nicholai La Barrie’s vision ensure this play is more than just another reprise of Oscar Wilde’s long old play, for this version of An Ideal Husband is a celebration of Black British talent, allowing an old classic to become truly entertaining and rightfully refreshing to every audience member.