Reviewer: Gail Sjogren

A Night of Wilde Laughter

The plays of Oscar Wilde can always be relied upon for swift and witty repartee, wonderfully larger than life characters and gently biting satire on marriage, the aristocracy and society in general. BNT’s current production of Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime delivers all these and more in an elegant period setting with a very strong cast.

Lord Arthur, handsome, charming, wealthy and lovesick, must for reasons which soon become apparent, commit a murder before he can marry the beautiful but rather dizzy Sybil Merton. Hedley Thomson, playing Lord Arthur, is rarely offstage and delivers a virtuoso performance which almost persuades an audience to accept this unlikely premise. Liesl Vanderkley is a simpering Sybil, a fitting mate for the hapless lord.

It is the butler, Baines, who clearly has control of the household and Peter Nethercote makes the most of every facet of the character, a fitting foil for Lord Arthur. The interplay between these two very experienced actors is a joy to watch. In best Wilde tradition, Lord Arthur’s union with Sybil is seen with great suspicion by her overbearing mother, a role which Jill Dunne clearly enjoys to the utmost.

Adding to the fun are Lord Arthur’s aunts, Lady Windermere and Lady Beauchamp, played by Jane Gaylor and Wendy Holgate, his uncle the Dean played by Paul Rose and a wonderful pair of eccentrics, a crazy anarchist played by Mark Kuntski and a suavely persuasive palm reader played by Haydn Vincent. Peppa Sindar completes the ensemble as Nellie the maid, making a sly play for Baines.

The play is a visual delight with an evocative period setting and wonderful costumes, designed by Peter Nethercote and Kate Sullivan, bringing to life all the elegance of the period. Director Julian Oldfield has ensured that the final production of this, BNT’s 75th Anniversary Season, will be enjoyed by young and old.