Review of An Ideal Husband (1999) by Nerwende A — 13 Mar 2009
Another Oscar Wilde play comes to life?this time in one that is funny and charming and lively and sometimes even wicked? Set in late 19th Century London, the story revolves around an up-and-coming young politician who gets blackmailed by a ?lady? into changing his opinion on an upcoming parliamentary bill.
She has some evidence of how he got his early influence?and is willing and ready to use it if he doesn?t meet her demands. OK, so that?s the main plot, but as Wilde always does, the plot is only the beginning of the story.
The best parts here are the supporting players and the smaller storylines about romances and the search for husbands, etc. Those are the juicy parts that offer the best snippets of Wilde-esque dialogue, innuendo and puns.
One of the leaders in this smaller storylines is Rupert Everett, who plays a cad who has made it is goal in life never to marry. His story interweaves perfectly with the main storyline about the blackmail (he is friends with the politician and used to date the lady who is blackmailing him) but on its own, Everett?s story is a perfectly solid work.
His entire character could be pulled out and turned into a full-length play or film, since there is so much meaty dialogue and so many stories to tell about him. If you have liked Wilde?s work in the past (such as A Woman of No Importance, Lady Windemere?s Fan?s, and most notably The Importance of Being Earnest), An Ideal Husband is guaranteed to please and if you?ve never seen anything written by Wilde, this is the one to start with.
Trust me?you will want to see them all!
This review of An Ideal Husband (1999) was written by Nerwende A on 13 Mar 2009.
An Ideal Husband has generally received positive reviews.
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