The Trials of Oscar Wilde, co-written by the legendary playwright's grandson, will transfer to the intimate Trafalgar Studio 2 for its West End debut, a limited run from October 13 to November 8.
Co-written by the writer's grandson Merlin Holland and John O'Connor and directed by Peter Craze, the European Arts Company drama combines the actual words Wilde spoke in court during the libel trial of his lover's father with a reconstruction of his own subsequent prosecution by the Crown for "gross indecency" (read: homosexuality) in the 1890s. The West End production coincides with Wilde's 160th birth anniversary, and a special gala birthday performance will be held on October 16.
The Trials of Oscar Wilde toured throughout the UK this spring and summer, including a run at the St. James Theatre.
Said Holland, Wilde's only grandchild and the author of The Real Trial of Oscar Wilde: "Over the years, there have been a number of attempts to tell the story of my grandfather on stage but none of them have really managed to bring alive the drama of Oscar's courtroom appearances…it's a chance for audiences to see the real Oscar for the first time. This production shows him fighting for his art as well as his life and we get a real sense of Oscar's intellect at full stretch--his complexity, wit and deep humanity."
The production will also raise funds for lesbian, gay and bisexual charity Stonewall. Said Stonewall's Ruth Hunt, "We're thrilled that European Arts Company are supporting our work and delighted that money raised from the West End run will support our work to tackle homophobic bullying in schools."
The cast features John Gorick ("Holby City") as Oscar Wilde with Rupert Mason ("Eastenders") and William Kempsell (Running On Empty, Soho Theatre) as an array of supporting characters.
Coincidentally, "The Imitation Game," a new biopic about mathematician and code-breaker Alan Turing, will open the London Film Festival within a week of The Trials of Oscar Wilde, also in a West End locale. Prosecuted in 1952 on similar charges and under the same statute (the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885), Turing died two years later, heartbroken at the age of 41.
