The Judas Kiss: Review

Posted on 31 July, 2018

In a play where four of the seven cast members are naked on stage, the most vulnerable character is swathed in layers of clothes, losing an internal fight against self-hatred.

That character is Oscar Wilde, one of English literature’s most witty and tragic figures. Playwright David Hare has imagined two significant points in Wilde’s life—the first in 1895 where he is under siege from the press in a London hotel, contemplating fleeing London before he is arrested for ‘gross indecency’ (his affair with Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas). The second, two years later, living in a rat-infested Naples house with Bosie, where devotion has become resentment and betrayal.

Canberra based Mockingbird Theatre has brought these moments to life in The Judas Kiss. As well as the three real-life characters—Wilde, Bosie and Wilde’s former lover Robbie Ross— the cast is rounded out by four fictional characters: servants in the London hotel and Galileo, the Italian stallion Bosie flaunts in front of Wilde.

Liam Jackson as Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas and Chris Baldock as Oscar Wilde. Credit: Brenton Cleaves.

Each of these pursue sex whenever and wherever they want, and possibly Hare intended them as a counter to the hypocrisy of British society that condemns Wilde’s homosexuality. They may not have been quite so free in reality, but I applaud actors Cole Hilder, Meaghan Stewart and Benjamin Balte Russell for getting their kit off in the name of theatre (we all know how cold recent nights have been).

Mockingbird founder Chris Baldock is memorable as Oscar Wilde. His transformation from the first act’s deliberate nonchalance to the broken and abandoned Naples exile is striking, physically diminished and emotionally shattered. Whereas in the first act he moves languorously around his hotel room, by the second he only stirs out of his chair at the end of the scene, yet he commands the room by barely moving a muscle.

Chris Baldock as Oscar Wilde. Credit: Brenton Cleaves.

Liam Jackson as Bosie has something of a thankless task. He is petulant and spoilt, performing truly spectacular mental gymnastics to always be the one whose suffering is the most profound. In real life, Bosie was indeed all of these things, but Hare has written him devoid of charm. It’s impossible to see why Wilde fell for him so deeply. That may well be the point, as the audience feels the frustration of those who have watched helplessly as a loved one is in thrall to a manipulative narcissist.

In The Judas Kiss that friend is Robbie Ross, Wilde’s former lover who struggles with the hurt of being left for Bosie. Patrick Galen-Mules does excellent work showing the deep love Ross still feels for Wilde, wanting to help but angry at the choices he makes.

Wilde fans won’t be disappointed by this production, as the dialogue weaves Wilde’s own words with fictionalised ones that capture his tragedy. At one point he proclaims, “I’ve always had a low opinion of what people call action. The performance of the actor shall not determine the action…I am trapped in the narrative, the story has only one possible end.”

Patrick Galen-Mules as Robert Ross. Credit: Brenton Cleaves.

Hare’s play debuted in 1998 with Liam Neeson as Oscar Wilde, a miscasting that delayed a revival for some time. It was staged again in 2012 with the wonderful Rupert Everett in the main role. Everett’s experience inspired him to write and direct an upcoming film about Wilde’s last days, The Happy Prince. For Wilde fans, Mockingbird’s production is a chance to see the source material live in a poignant performance.

the essentials

What: Judas Kiss by Mockingbird Theatre
Where: Courtyard Theatre, Canberra Theatre Centre
When: Until Sunday 5 August 2018
Tickets: $44.95
Website: canberratheatrecentre.com.au/show/the-judas-kiss

The author was a guest of Mockingbird Productions, however, their opinions remain their own.