Wilde Without The Boy
A one‑man theatrical portrait of Oscar Wilde reading De Profundis and The Ballad of Reading Gaol
Wilde Without the Boy
Running Time of 113 minutes, inclusive of a 20-minute Interval
We meet a lone Oscar Wilde the night before his release from prison after serving 2 years' hard labour for acts of gross indecency. His manuscript, De Profundis, the searing letter Wilde wrote to his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie), during his incarceration, is on a table. Wilde reads the letter, reliving his journey from artistic and intellectual icon, to his witness box testimony during his trial at the Old Bailey and, finally, to social pariah.
Wilde Without the Boy is a window into the bruised but still radiant soul of one of the greatest geniuses ever to have lived. Wilde's brilliant poem, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, is performed as an accompaniment to Wilde Without the Boy.
"...A haunting and powerful solo show that lingers with you long after leaving the theatre…It feels like Wilde himself is in the room…utterly believable and incredibly moving..." Broadway Baby
