By Keolanani Kinghorn
Gross Indecency, written by Moises Kaufman, is about the life and trials of Oscar Wilde, who was persecuted because of his homosexuality. In this theatrical event, directed by Patrick Kibble, the trials are dramatized, as well as the voice of Oscar Wilde, by Luke Harger.
The play follows Wilde’s life in the 1980s, and an ongoing relationship with Lord Alfred (Jack Cobabe), a younger man. Douglas’s father, the Marquess of Queensberry (Ryan Kinville) desperately wanted it to end and torments Wilde. Wilde enlists the help of his friend and politician Sir Edward Clarke (Comet Higley). The defense denounced Wilde’s art and literature as immoral, leading the prosecuting attorney to declare, “It would appear that what is on trial is not Lord Queensberry but Mr. Wilde’s art!” In the end, Queensberry was acquitted, and evidence that had been gathered against Wilde compelled the Crown to prosecute him for “gross indecency with male persons.” Using transcripts from the actual trials, Wilde’s own writings, and excerpts from autobiographies and other historical documents, this play reconstructs the three trials that Oscar Wilde endured. In addition to Wilde and Queensberry, characters ranging from Lawyers, Queen Victoria (Sterling Shane Allen) to several London’s rent boys (Grant Christopherson/Alicia Kondrick) to a present-day academic (Ethan Herandez), are assembled to explore how history is made and how it can be so timely revisited in the theatre.
This is a play that I will mentally chew on for a while as both an English teacher and as someone who enjoys history. I admit Oscar Wilde is not someone I know a lot about, but I know his plays, especially The Importance of Being Earnest. I’m a British Literature fan and adore romantic comedy so I’ve seen many adaptations of The Importance of Being Earnest throughout my life, but Wilde’s other works are also very popular, especially his plays Lady Windemere’s Fan, and An Ideal Husband. He is also known for his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and his poetry. According to the play, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, after Shakespeare, Wilde is the most-produced playwright in Europe, to this day.
Obviously, his work has lived on well, and yet, you wouldn’t know based on how famous his work is today that his life came to an early end at the age of 46—one that could have been prevented had he not been sent to prison for “Gross Indecency.” The life of an artist is rarely what we imagine it to be, but until his forties, Wilde had a good life and everything he wanted: wealth, fame, and even love. It is hard not to imagine what he would have created; had he not been sent to prison for crimes that today hold no merit. It’s tragic that we—humankind—did this to him and to ourselves—preventing having more of his work with us through the trials of Wilde. It’s heartbreaking.
The most powerful moment for me was at the end of the play when the entire cast comes together to recite Wilde’s poem, “The House of Judgment.” It was here, in this poem that we glimpse how Wilde really felt throughout his life: even though he was this charismatic persona that achieved status and wealth, he lived in torment, not being able to be who he truly was.
There is a moment in the play when Wilde goes to one of his best friends, named Harris (Alicia Kondrick) after the trial, for advice. His friend, assuming Wilde is innocent, wants to help him escape the country, and when Wilde admits his guilt to his friend and asks if changes anything between them, Harris says “No,” that they are still friends and that he still wants to help even though he hasn’t been much help so far. Wilde replies, “You have enabled me to tell you the truth, that is something. To speak the truth is a painful thing. To be forced to tell lies is much worse.”
True friendship for Wilde was acceptance. Even though he lived more than a hundred years ago, not much has changed in this respect. Many people still pretend to be someone they are not or try to be what they think others want them to be: many of us still live lies based on who we want to be or who we think we should be and how we are raised or the culture /country/religion that we live in (whatever it is).
When it is all said and done, we need friends and communities who accept us for who we are on the inside, no matter what—people that love us for those things, not in spite of those things.
I think that this is an important play for a lot of people in Utah to watch because many of us have grown up in homophobic communities and it is important for us to break free of those limiting mindsets—and sometimes toxic mindsets. This play shows us why; it shows us why that kind of mindset is toxic.
The acting in this play, especially by Harger, who plays Wilde, is just really exceptional. He’s able to go in and out of scenes all while being physically in the courtroom and experiencing a myriad of emotions all within the time span of about a minute while other narrators read historically true letters from other people who knew Wilde. Because the fourth wall is gone for much of the play, the audience can quite literally experience those moments with him. And then, suddenly be jolted back to the courtroom—that was really cool. So, kudos to Harger for making it so real.
While I am talking about Harger, his British accent is very pleasant to listen to. The best compliment I can give him is that he talked the way a poet writes. I actually believed he was a poet at moments, and that is coming from an English teacher.
The entire cast was simply superb!
And, um, the pacing of the show was exceptional. The cast was on top of each other’s lines, in addition to their ensemble roles every actor, except Harger, also doubles as a narrator. They were perfect. I was never bored and that is a feat with three separate trials. By the third trial, obviously, they’re repeating some things. But they did a good job reworking it and focusing on different things, even with just a simple set.
The set included black folding chairs; papers scattered across the ground at each chair that the actors occasionally pick up. So, a very minimal set and costumes—no costume changes. Mostly, muted black and white colors that you would see in an office setting: very professional-like. The Lighting, by Zander Levym was also simple, but importantly showcased the strong acting, without being distracting. Oscar Wilde is wearing black pants and a sweater that is black and white striped. It didn’t occur to me till the end of the play that his suit probably symbolized the black and white jumpsuit that prisoners are known for because almost the entire length of the play is set during the trials, and he is imprisoned. I thought that was clever.
Overall, really thoughtful casting and choices made this play feel modern and relevant. It was written in 1997. So, Kibble, and Assistant Director Ali Lente have done a lot of work and made a lot of choices, updating and simplifying to make this feel fresh and I think it paid off—nicely done.
Wasatch Theatre Company presents Gross Indecency: The Tree Trials of Oscar Wild, by Moises Kaufman
January 5th – 14th, 2023, Thursdays-Sundays
Mid Valley Performing Arts Center
Studio 5400
Taylorsville, UT 84129
Runtime: 130 minutes, 10-minute intermission Buy tickets at:
https://www.saltlakecountyarts.org/events/gross-indecency/.
Age policy: Mature Audiences – 18+. No babes-in-arms. All patrons must have a ticket regardless of age.
The life and trials of Oscar Wilde, including persecution for being gay, are documented here.
Wasatch Theatre Company produces timely, relevant, and entertaining theatre by supporting diverse artists and providing opportunities for unique voices to stimulate conversation, increase empathy, and empower positive social change.
info@wasatchtheatre.org
801-869-4600 124 South 400 West
Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
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