Review: Wilde Without the Boy (Burton Taylor Studio)

Wilde Without the Boy is a one man show featuring Gerard Logan as Oscar Wilde. The first act was a dramatisation (by Gareth Armstrong) of De Profundis, which is drawn from Wilde’s letter to his former lover Lord Alfred Douglas ‘Bosie’ during his imprisonment. The second part consisted of a reading of The Ballad of Reading Gaol.

On arrival at the Burton Taylor Studio, it became apparent that the performance was sold out, which is always a promising sign when a show is making a return to a venue. The set was limited, depicting a prison cell. Before the show began, music provided an essence of timeline and the stormy weather inadvertently added a somewhat appropriate addition to the backdrop, as rainwater leaked down a corner of the wall, the sense of the location being that of bleak incarceration grew even more alive.

Gerard Logan's performance was exceptionally captivating; it felt like it was Oscar Wilde talking to us. There were particular moments involving the pause before reading from letters or listening to a flashback from scenes in a courtroom where facial expressions said even more than the words. It felt like a masterclass in emotive expression. For the first hour, costumed as the traditional images of Oscar Wilde suggest he would have dressed, the atmosphere was enhanced by sound and lighting changes that were used sparingly, but effectively. Despite the performance being set as Wilde was about to be released from prison, the backstory made it clear that his freedom was by no means going to be an easy path.

After the interval, with a costume change, the reading of The Ballad of Reading Gaol took place and once again the performance was exceptional. This reading was accompanied by music (Simon Slater) and sound effects throughout, and the combination was fascinating because the pacing of the reading and music worked so well, with the score enhancing what was being said and never taking over. I was so engaged with the precision of this, it was fascinating to listen too, and I admit at times during both acts of the show I became so absorbed by the performance itself I wasn’t entirely processing the words so I had to refocus my mind – this is absolutely not a negative thing I was personally thinking this actor could make reading a dictionary sound like the most interesting thing you’ve ever heard. I have found myself thinking about the subject matter of both parts of the show since. During the second act, the reading brought the poem alive in a way that a first read of the written form would not be able to achieve.

This show made me want to find out more about Oscar Wilde, after inducing a sense of empathy for a man who struggled to exist authentically due to

societal perceptions at the time, and experienced emotional turmoil due to situations he had absolutely no control over. Even more so it made me want to see Gerard Logan perform again so I was delighted when I found his website after the show and discovered the team are touring other shows alongside this one. I will be keeping an eye on the tour schedule.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you would like to see more of my curtain call photographs from this and other shows, please visit my Instagram.

I was gifted a ticket for this show in exchange for an honest review.