Theatre News

Trials of Oscar Wilde transfers to Trafalgar Studios

The play is co-written by Wilde’s grandson Merlin Holland

Fresh from its current UK tour and run at the St James Theatre, The Trials of Oscar Wilde will transfer to Trafalgar Studios for a limited four week run from 13 October 2014.

The play uses the words spoken at Wilde's infamous trial to piece together "what it was like to be in the company of a flawed genius".

The European Arts Company play was co-written by John O'Connor and Merlin Holland, Wilde's only grandson.

Holland said: "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.

"Using the actual words from the libel trial, recently discovered more than a hundred years after the event, and with a careful reconstruction of Wilde's prosecution by the Crown for homosexuality, it's a chance for audiences to see the real Oscar for the first time."

The cast includes John Gorick (Holby City), Rupert Mason (EastEnders, A Touch of Frost) and William Kempsell. It's directed by Peter Craze.