2nd Story's 'Gross Indecency:' The 3 Trials of Oscar Wilde

The author of Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, Moises Kaufman, is perhaps best known for writing The Laramie Project (both the play and the HBO film adaptation), about the life and brutal death of Matthew Shepard and the effect of Shepard's death on the small town of Laramie, WY.

Gross Indecency shares The Laramie Project's style of presenting information to an audience.  It is as much an oral history of Oscar Wilde; edited by Kaufman as it is a play; written from Kaufman's imagination.  In an oral history, the words spoken by the actors have a legitimacy that increases their poignancy and their affect on the audience.

The text of Gross Indecency is taken from trial transcripts, letters, biographies, autobiographies (published and unpublished), and an occasional interview with a present-day academic.  Three Trials refer to three actual trials that involved Wilde (J M Richardson).  The first as the plaintiff, suing Lord Queensberry (F. William Oakes) who was his the father of his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas (Ara Boghigian), for publicly saying Wilde was posing as a sodomite.  That trial was abruptly  halted when the defense announced plans to call a handful of young men who would testify that Wilde had performed indecent acts on/with them.  The government was then obligated, to press charges against Wilde for sodomy.  The writings of Wilde and Douglas were presented as evidence against them; both their letters and their art (though Wilde argues that all of his letters are art).  The first trial against Wilde for sodomy resulted in a hung jury.  Given the international attention given to the first trial, an impartial jury was impossible to impanel for a second trial, as a result Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison.  Wilde died soon after his release, from complications of an injury he received while incarcerated.

2nd Story's Artistic Director Ed Shea directs Gross Indecency. The production is staged in the historic Bristol Statehouse, in a courtroom.  Some members of the audience as seated in the jury box. The wall of performance exists, but is it permeable.  The setting gives the production an enveloping quality, that I imagine, Shea was hoping to produce.

The actors (all male) surrounded a large table in the middle of the courtroom. The stage direction is deceptively simple. As each actor speaks, they stand.  What makes the delivery so difficult is the pace, which is break-neck. Also, each line delivered is credited with it's source, just before it is spoken.  The costume design, by Ron Cesario, evokes the Victorian era, without being a slave to it.  Likewise,  no effort was made to affect British accents.  Clever decisions, both.

As Oscard Wilde, J M Richardson has the opportunity to play one of the most fascinating personalities, ever, and makes the most of it.  He reigns in any audience expectation of a stereotypical dandy, to give a rounded, human, portrayal of Wilde. His timing, and delivery are exceptional, a theme that runs through the entire production. Richardson portrays Wilde's wit, enormous ego and ultimately his vulnerability with authenticity.

Ara Boghigian's portrayal of Lord Alfred "Bowsie" Douglas was incredibly even-handed.  Often portrayed as just-this-side-of-insane or nothing more than an an over-indulged rabble-rouser, Boghigian portrays Bowsie as a complete human being.

Tom Bentley, Joe Henderson, Ryan Maxwell, Dillion Medina, Patrick Poole, Michael Zola along with F. William Oakes all play multiple roles.  This is not to say that they are the supporting cast. Every member of the cast is on stage at all times.  The pace, variety of sources, and building of evidence presented requires that each of these actors know the entire script, and present each character or source as distinct.  The need for synchronicity, which is many times invisible to the audience, is in this instance, plainly evident.

This production of Gross Indecency is an thoroughly entertaining and educational production of an intricate piece of art, based on a beautiful personality in a chilling period of history.

Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde runs through October 28th.  Performances are Thursday - Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m.  Tickets are $25.00 and can be purchased by calling the box office at 401-247-4200.  Visit www.2ndstorytheatre.com for more information.

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