"The Judas Kiss"

Oscar Wilde (Everett) holding Bosie (fox)
Photograph via: http://www.theartsdesk.com/
theatre/judas-kiss-duke-yorks-theatre

"The Judas Kiss" by David Hare (The Duke of York's Theatre) is a tale that tells of love, passion, morality, friendship, society and aristocracy in the context of Oscar Wilde's life. After his lover's, Bosie's, mother files a lawsuit against him he is left no choice but to flee the country where he decides to reside in Naples with his lover.
I was lucky enough to have seen the play while Rupert Everett was playing Oscar Wilde. He gave a heartfelt and gripping performance, in which he embodied the character of Wilde immaculately. His mannerisms, stature, posture, look were just utter perfection; so believable that it felt like it was Oscar Wilde himself. His  relaxed attitude to life was executed perfectly, with moments seeming frivolous and others emphasizing the importance of love and following one's heart. The first act all seems dandy and then the treachery of Bosie, played by Freddie Fox, towards Wilde is heart wrenching. Real empathy is achieved in this production. Freddie Fox also gave a great performance, his look was aristocratic his mannerisms and voice believable, albeit at some point a little mumbled.
The staging of the production I was less than impressed with. In the first act, there was a bench/ chaise lounge placed against a wall which was used many times, (eg. Bosie sits and talks whilst on it, Wilde takes a nap lying down), It was behind a table and therefore the view was incredibly limited. The blocking was a little shaky too. There is a franticness and panic in the first act as the police are searching for Wilde, they are hiding out in a hotel, trains are leaving and Wilde is running out of time to flee. However, much the blocking of the characters walking up and down the stage was definitely lost in translation. Instead of reflecting the panic of the characters it just appeared messy and was frustrating for me as an audience member to watch.
The costumes were great, Oscar Wilde's particularly emblematic in the first half in his love of luxury and opulence, and his more humble situation in the second. Even when Bosie has wrapped the bed sheet around his waste in the second half, it seems believable and has a toga like quality to it. It still hung from his body in the right way and emphasize the betrayal against Wilde, by reminding the audience of his constant relations with younger men in comparison to Wilde.
The set design was far from perfect. I personally found the hotel room, which had an enormous brocade velvet panel of fabric billowed against the wall did not work. I know it is written in the details of the introduction to the book but it was not executed effectively and this really let the performance down for me. It was distracting.  The hotel room in Act One was on a diagonal and I found this to be ineffective as well. There was a table downstage and the characters who at times sat behind it were lost. Sight lines were definitely an issue. On a positive note the lighting was very good. There was a window in the wall of the set, meant to be a hotel room window which had a lighting behind which really embodied daylight realistically.
The Second act was a good embodiment of the simplistic lifestyle Wilde was living, in comparison to the lavish and extravagant in Act One but the setup I once again did not like. The lighting however was once again very effective in this part of the play
Overall I found the performance enjoyable mainly as a result of the performance given by Ruper
t Evertt. The play lacked in some areas and was slow at times but definitely worth the visit.