1st Night Photos: Hanson & Bond’s Ideal Opening

The West End revival of Oscar Wilde’s 1895 satire An Ideal Husband opened at the Vaudeville Theatre last night (10 November, previews from 2 November 2010) with real-life husband and wife Alexander Hanson and Samantha Bond lead a cast as politician Robert Chiltern and the blackmailing Mrs Cheveley.

The production marks the first West End outing of the play in over ten years, since the frequent forays of Sir Peter Hall’s long-running revival which, from its initial opening in 1992 ran for more than six years at various venues including the Old Vic, Albery (now the Noel Coward), Gielgud (twice) and Theatre Royal Haymarket (three times) as well as a stint on Broadway.

Directed by Lindsay Posner, the all-star cast also includes Rachael Stirling as Chiltern’s wife and Elliot Cowan as his philandering friend Lord Goring.

TO SCROLL THROUGH ALL OF THE AN IDEAL HUSBAND ’s 1st NIGHT PHOTOS,
JUST CLICK ON THE “NEXT >” LINKS BELOW THE FOLLOWING FRAME.
PHOTOS BY DAN WOOLLER FOR WHATSONSTAGE.COM.

Also in the cast are Caroline Blakiston, Charles Kay, Fiona Button, Tor Clark, George Beach, Philip Desmeules, Max Digby, Jane Dowden, Derek Howard, Tom Mothersdale, Gemma Page and Carmen Rodriguez. The production is designed by Stephen Brimson Lewis, lit by Peter Mumford and produced by Kim Poster for Stanhope Productions.