From the Publisher
"Absolutely gripping . . . scintillating . . . sharply intelligent, dramatically fresh . . . a Wildean triumph." —The New York Times
"Thrilling . . . unforgettable, maybe even life-changing. . . . [It has] the inevitability and much of the monumentality of a Greek tragedy." —USA Today
"A dazzling coup de theatre, at once compelling history and chilling human drama." —Time
"Stunning . . . taut, shattering, yet delightfully exuberant . . . altogether fascinating." —Newsday
Library Journal
Two-time Tony Award winner Kaufman's 1998 play about the Oscar Wilde trials is reinvigorated through this present-day live recording of the production starring Simon Templeman, Julian Sands, Peter Paige, J.B. Blanc, Dakin Matthews, Ian Ogilvy, John Vickery, Douglas Weston, and Matthew Wolf. Kaufman craftily incorporates court transcripts, newspaper accounts, and other historical documents to convey the complexity of emotion and enmity surrounding Wilde's trials and the threat his sexuality held for Victorian England. The narrative is greatly enhanced by the cast's strong performances; Templeman in particular manages, as Wilde, to oscillate deftly between the play's alternating serious emotional moments and its comedic ones. A superb bonus interview with Kaufman helps to clarify some of his creative decisions and the goals of the performance. For fans of comedies, courtroom dramas, and Wilde as well as for those wishing to understand better the view of sex and censorship in Victorian England.—Lance Eaton, Peabody, MA
