Chesil Theatre 
Chesil Theatre, Winchester
Mark Ponsford 
20 January 2026
One of the most moving interviews I’ve ever seen featured in the 2017 BBC4 documentary Prejudice and Pride, an account and analysis of the changing attitudes, throughout the years, towards the LGBTQI+ community. Susan Calman was speaking with a lesbian couple about their loving and devoted lifetime relationship, intently focused as, with eloquence, quiet dignity and an astonishing lack of any undue bitterness or resentment, they recalled their oft-challenging times prior to the decriminalisation of homosexuality. At the end of the interview, all Calman was able to say – choked with emotion – was “So … you went through all of that … so I could have a better life”. She got it. We all got it. Goodness knows, growing up gay wasn’t always easy when I and my generation were in our teens, and I’m sure we didn’t fully recognise (let alone appreciate) at the time just how much the “older generations” had gone through, unconsciously paving the way for our own better-being. So, one cannot truly begin to grasp the terrifying claustrophobia of homosexual existence in 1895, the year in which David Hare’s play commences.
My first awareness of the event (and probably of Oscar Wilde as well) occurred in my early teens, when I read John Betjeman’s sparing (and thus all the more devastating) poem The Arrest of Oscar Wilde at the Cadogan Hotel, and the fact that I can still recite it from memory is indication enough of the effect it had. There were (and are) more detailed accounts, and in various forms, but this is the one that stayed with me, and which came immediately to mind as soon as this elegant, eloquent production commenced. Suffice it to say that the opening uncompromising moments of the play (arguably not what you might expect) command our attention entirely, and it’s therefore no great surprise as we become more fully aware of the running and reputation of the establishment, and Wilde’s gravitation towards it.
This production marks the first occasion for some while that the Chesil’s house curtain has been brought into play, and it is a wise choice. The reveals at the start of each act surprise us with their sheer elegance of design (Nicky and Nicholas Hubbard), and both acts feature subtle yet highly effective lighting, along with sumptuous video design and projection; the second act in particular features probably the most stunning and sweeping lighting effect I’ve yet seen enhance the Chesil stage, and that’s saying something. There’s also an unobtrusive yet equally effective soundscape, and all these elements have been designed and realised beautifully by Tony Lawther, solidifying yet again the Chesil’s reputation for technical excellence.
Nicky Hubbard’s direction of the piece is consistently fluid and filled with subtle detail, and her assembled company does her (and the play) proud. Duncan Ley’s Oscar is a masterclass of characterisation, every vocal and facial detail benefitting from the intimacy of the Chesil, and it’s a performance that shows us even the thought process as Wilde proceeds along his doomed personal path. As Lord Alfred Douglas, Arthur L Wood walks a skilful fine line that gives us an insight and understanding of Wilde’s attraction towards, and fascination with, this self-centred and somewhat Machiavellian creature. A regular performer on the Chesil stage, Wood consistently shows himself to be a performer of great range and versatility. Tom Humphreys’ Robbie is a strong and sympathetic presence, ensuring that we connect with his feelings and his frustrations. There’s strong and effective support from Steve Clark as Sandy Moffatt, he of the Cadogan Hotel, whose balancing of his job and his “personal interests” somehow becomes genuinely unsettling, and further excellent characterisation (along with some enjoyable moments of humour) from Sam Jolley as Phoebe. Completing the cast is Ben Franklin, who genuinely transforms to great and commendable effect in both his roles, highly appreciated by Tuesday evening’s audience, whose thorough attentiveness and involvement throughout was tangible.
This is a high-quality production of a deeply involving and thought-provoking play, gripping through to the end, however clear it may be that there will be no happy endings for anyone, and there’s a genuinely moving moment when, at the very end of the play, a back-projection details the final phase of Wilde’s life – all the more moving in this day and age, when his work remains as popular and as loved as ever. And for anyone fascinated to gain insight into the final years of Lord Alfred’s life, it’s worth seeking out A Touch Of The Memoirs, the first volume of Donald Sinden’s autobiography, in which he details a somewhat random event which led to an actual meeting with Douglas. This extraordinary encounter might even suggest that we reconsider, at least in part, the reputation of Lord Alfred. It somehow brings an added poignancy to this already poignant series of events.
