Oscar Wilde's spoiled and impetuous young lover Bosie has succeeded in instigating Wilde to sue Bosie's father in court for insulting him as a "sodomite". The loss of the suit opens the way for Wilde being criminally indicted for gross indecency. Wilde has tacit government permission to flee the country to avoid arrest, trial, and imprisonment, but the childish Bosie insists that he stay and defend their honour.
Act 2: Italy, 1897
Wilde is doing the one thing his friends wanted him to avoid, namely reuniting with the unbelievably selfish Bosie after his difficult two-year incarceration. Wilde, a broken man, is holed up in exile from the UK in a rat-infested hotel in Naples.[2]
The play was originally produced by the Almeida Theatre Company and premiered in London's Playhouse Theatre in the West End, where it ran from 12 March to 18 April 1998.[5] It then transferred to Broadway in New York at the Broadhurst Theatre, where it ran from 23 April through 1 August 1998.[6] The play was rushed into production in London in order to open on Broadway in time for the Tonys.[7][8] The run starred Liam Neeson as Wilde and Tom Hollander as Bosie, and was directed by Richard Eyre.[8]
The play had its Australian premiere in 1999 at Sydney's Belvoir St Theatre. It was directed by Neil Armfield, who later directed the 2012 London revival, and featured Bille Brown in the role of Oscar Wilde.[20] In 2014, a new production directed by Jason Cavanagh and produced by the Mockingbird Theatre Company was staged at Theatreworks in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda, featuring Chris Baldock as Wilde and Nigel Langley as Bosie.[21][20]
Reception
The initial 1998 run of The Judas Kiss proved popular with audiences but less so with critics.[22] The 2012 London revival however was both critically and popularly acclaimed. Michael Billington in The Guardian observed of the revival:
When David Hare's play was first seen in 1998, it suffered from the miscasting of the central roles of Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie). Now, in Neil Armfield's fine revival, it looks a much richer play .... The Wilde that emerges is a multifaceted character: one who can either be admired for his uncompromising moral integrity, or pitied for his wilful capacity for self-destruction.
This is the most convincing dramatic portrait of Wilde that I have come across – one that captures him as both romantic individualist and tragic victim.[23]
Other critics concurred with Billington's sentiment;[24] Fiona Mountford in the Evening Standard echoed that "Time has been kinder to The Judas Kiss (1998) than some initial judgments: on second viewing it's revealed as a rich, resonant piece of writing, which at last boasts the ideal cast."[25]
Notes
^The dialogue suggests that Moffatt has a fancy for a male member of his staff, and this is the way that most actors portraying the character approach it.
