Rachael Stirling & Alexander Hanson in An Ideal Husband
Rachael Stirling & Alexander Hanson in An Ideal Husband
Share
An Ideal Husband
Venue: Vaudeville Theatre
Where: West End
Date Reviewed:

Related Content

Booking Tickets & Show Listings
An Ideal Husband Listing Page
Internal Links
Rachael Stirling Finds Ideal Husband in Oliver Chris??? - 24th Feb 2011 gossip
Rachael Stirling proposed to in Vaudeville Theatre dressing room??? - 23rd Feb 2011 gossip
Plays Extend: Young Menagerie, Wilde Husband - 24th Nov 2010 news
1st Night Photos: Hanson & Bond's Ideal Opening - 11th Nov 2010 photos
Review Round-up: Wilde Opening for Husband - 11th Nov 2010 roundup
Bond Stars with Ideal Husband Hanson, 10 Nov - 23rd Jul 2010 news


Reader Reviews


ScoreCommentDate
starstarstarPlus another half point for the performances, making 3.5! When I first saw this play, in a production by Peter Hall c.15 years ago, it fizzed; so much so that I went back to see it again when it returned to London after an extensive tour. It seemed to me to be so much better than the play most consider his best – The Importance of Being Ernest. For reasons I cannot fathom, in Lindsay Posner’s production the first half is ponderously slow – one of the longest ‘set up’s’ I can remember – whilst the second half zips along. Oscar Wilde’s play may be 115 years old but if you ignore the settings and costumes, its thoroughly modern – unlike contemporaries like Chekhov or Ibsen, it has hardly aged. The story is rather timely – a corrupt act in the past comes back to haunt a rising star politician. The morals of the case are explored as the events unfold, but with Wilde’s usual sharp wit, satirising the upper classes along the way. Stephen Brimson-Lewis’ opulent gold set becomes three different rooms in the same house and with the insertion of a simple green wall transforms into a room in another house. With superb period costumes, it looks gorgeous and seems to me to capture the time and the society of the protagonists perfectly. What makes this revival is brilliant casting. Samantha Bond is a suitably icy Mrs Cheveley, Rachel Sterling (looking mote like her mother than she ever has before) a moralistic Lady Chiltern and Alexander Hanson a somewhat ernest archetypal politician with an ability to change his stance and rationalise it seamlessly. The star of the show though is Elliott Cowan’s Viscount Goring, a brilliant and witty creation in full flight, and there are lovely cameos from Charles Kay, Caroline Blakiston and Fiona Button. Such a shame the first two acts didn’t have the pace of the second two, but worth a look nonetheless. - Gareth James17 Jan 11
starstarstarThis is a very good play but, as frequently occurs, when seen at a matinee, the cast appear to be anxious to get it over and done with so that they can get their feet up before the evening performance. The director needs to pull them up because the text is very witty but not only must the audience be given a little time to get the jokes but the cast must actually act and not recite their lines in turn. Galloping through the script does nobody credit. Beautiful sets, wonderful lighting and costumes - Samantha Bond's body consciousness is terrific - elegance in every gesture. - Rebekkah12 Jan 11
starstarstarLindsay Posner presents a magnificently staged and superbly acted revival of Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband and yet I left feeling strangely dissatisfied. For once Wilde's flow of epigramatic wit seems forced, particularly in a play which could be described as a political thriller. The final act is contrived and Mrs. Chevely, brilliantly played by Samantha Bond, gives up her machinations too easily and disappears prematurely at the end of Act III. Those problems lie with the play itself but it is difficult to imagine how it could be done any better than this. - David Baxter09 Dec 10
starstarstarstarstarA GREAT EVENING OUT,VERY WITTY AND LOTS OF TWISTS AND TURNS.A SHADE LONG TO START BUT YOU HAVE TO INTRODUCE A VARIETY OF CHARACTERS.SAMANTHA BOND IS A VERY NASTY "BADDY" - STEVE16 Nov 10
starstarGuess, I saw a different production. The cast were forgetting their lines or saying the wrong words. Very disappointed in a production I had high hopes for. - KQ16 Nov 10
starstarstarstarSuperb, Oscar would have enjoyed it. - Barry15 Nov 10
starstarstarstarI loved this play. Very sumptuous, very Wilde. A very good night out - HB12 Nov 10


Write a Review
Give us your opinion on this production, give it a score (1 is low) and a comment
Score:
Comment:
Name:
Required, will appear on website
Email:
Required, will not appear on website
Confirm: Please type in
Please enter this number > SEVENTY-EIGHT < Just the two digits only, without any spaces.

Free Newsletter

Subscribe to our free newsletter


Twitter

Today's Editor's Picks

Sadie Frost & Kate Moss1st Night Photos: Kate Moss & Ronnie Wood get a Touch of Frost
Sadie Frost was supported by celebrity friends including Kate Moss (to whom she addressed the first ...

Robert Daws (photo: Dan Wooller)Daws & Simkins bring Yes, Prime Minister back to West End
Robert Daws will play Prime Minister Jim Hacker alongside Michael Simkins as Cabinet Secretary Sir H...

Trevor Fox and Darrell D'SilvaChildren's Children
starstarstar
Matthew Dunster’s spiky, squawky new play, Children’s Children, tracks a friendship of...

Michelle Ryan (photo: Dan Wooller)Michelle Ryan plays Bowles opposite Will Young in Cabaret
Former EastEnder Michelle Ryan will make her musical theatre debut playing Sally Bowles in Rufus Nor...

Review Round-up: Chariots of Fire takes the silver
Chariots of Fire, directed by Edward Hall, premiered last night at the Hampstead Theatre. The pla...
>> More Editor's Picks
>> Most Recent Stories
>> Most Popular Stories

Follow Us

Facebook Twitter Google Plus YouTube

Featured Video

© Whatsonstage 1996-2012
SITE MAP COMPANY INFORMATION

Tickets
Buy London Theatre Tickets
Theatre Ticket & Meal Deals
Discount London Theatre Tickets and Promotions
London Theatre Ticket Hotel Breaks

Content
Theatre News
Theatre Reviews
Interviews & Features
Theatre Videos
Opera News & Reviews
Off-West End News & Reviews
Regional Theatre News & Reviewsl
Whatsonstage.com Awards

Meet the Editorial Team
Add a press release to Whatsonstage.com

Community
Discussion board
Community calendar
Theatre jobs
Theatre blogs

Whatsonstage.com Theatre Club
Join the Club
Log in
Current Club benefits
How to get free theatre tickets

Group Outings
What's On Stage Magazine

Mailing Lists
Newsletter - weekly theatre news
Special Offers - discount theatre tickets direct to your inbox

Information Services
What's On - national theatre listings database

London theatre map
A-Z of London Theatres
A-Z of London Theatre Shows

London Theatre Show openings & closings
FAQ
Work for us - current vacancies
Add a press release to Whatsonstage.com
Find and Book cheap UK Hotels

Marketing Services:
Website design
Email marketing & CRM services

Content feeds
Add a press release to Whatsonstage.com

Whatsonstage.com - Discount London theatre tickets, theatre news and reviews, Theatre videos, Theatre discussion, National Theatre Listings. Covering London's West End, all of Theatreland and all UK theatre. The best for London Theatre Ticket Discounts.

Products
Whatsonstage.com
What's On Stage Magazine
Whatsonstage.com Awards
Whatsonstage.com Theatre Club
Testimonials
Contact us
Advertise with us

Terms and Conditions
Privacy Statement

Loading...

Book by Phone:

Outings & Club: 020 7317 9100