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In spring of 1895, Oscar Wilde was larger than life. His masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest, was a hit in the West End and he was the toast of London. Yet by summer he was serving two years in prison for gross indecency. Punished for “the love that dare not speak its name,” Wilde remained devoted to his beloved, Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas. The Judas Kiss revolves around two pivotal moments in his life: the day when, cajoled by Bosie into an ill-fated trial, he decides to stay in England and face imprisonment, and a night when, after his release two years later, the lover for whom he risked everything betrays him again. David Hare’s masterful play pulses with the ecstasy and anguish of an enamored heart.
The Judas Kiss
Critics
LemonMeter
Reviews: 9
Reviews
There are particular products, —merchandise, institutions and other…stuff— exports from the U.K., which the rest of the world sometimes finds difficulty to appreciate.
But not so we Americans; we're just outright baffled by them.
I refer to such English delicacies as jellied eels, spotted dick or stargazy pie; traditions the likes of cheese rolling on Cooper's Hill or encasing oneself entirely in outfits of straw on Strawberry Day, and it goes without saying this includes anything at all having to do with the game of cricket.
These certain commodities are so alien to us that the designation “British” could just as easily be “Venusian” or “Tralfamadorian.”
The plays of David Hare tend to fall into this category.
With the art-house pic The Happy Prince having recently scored its writer-director-star Rupert Everett career-best raves, the time could not be riper for The Judas Kiss to bring L.A. theater audiences to their feet. Be prepared to stand up and cheer.
That is where the skill and dexterity of a performer like Rob Nagle makes all the difference in the world. He inhabits Oscar with the kind of conviction that makes every moment telling. Whether showing the hero or the coward, the lover or the artist, Nagle is effortlessly convincing. He spends 90% of the second act in a chair, but his bon mot crackle, his arguments nearly pierce Bosie's self-absorption, and his performance is so dynamic that the character's physical and mental immobility is immaterial.
The Boston Court's production of David Hare's THE JUDAS KISS now affecting audiences thru March 24, represents a stunning achievement by Mr. Michetti, his creative team supporting the director's aims and his sterling cast and crew as well. Take a bow, ladies and gentlemen!
Director Michael Michetti gets great work from his ensemble, and his direction serves the play well, although visually things are a bit spare...
My one cavil is that the play itself is sometimes talky and repetitive and might work better with some pruning. But overall this is a smart, moving production which gives the complexities of this historical tragedy their due. If this story intrigues you, I'd encourage you to check it out. - RECOMMENDED
While there's enough chewy, intelligent dialogue to earn our attention, the one thing truly bold about Michael Michetti's bland and bemusing direction is the casting of Rob Nagle as Wilde considering Nagle was not born to play Wilde.
Michetti's light hand is usually more discernable than it is here, perhaps out of a desire to honor the author's wishes. Sometimes, finding a middle ground is best.
In a beautifully paced and sensitive staging, director Michael Michetti has assembled a mostly workmanlike cast that deftly handles the permutations of Hare's challenging text. The action unfolds in Se Hyun Oh's minimalistic scenic design, well lighted by David Hernandez, with costume designer Dianne K. Graebner cladding Nagle in epicene finery...
In a performance not to be missed, Nagle shows us the internalized anguish behind Wilde's deceptive passivity — the thwarted brilliance and loss behind his valiant savoir-faire.
Boston Court Pasadena's artistic director Michael Michetti assuredly directs his pitch-perfect cast in DEEE-livering the whip-smart words of David Hare's THE JUDAS KISS in a smooth, non-stop, totally involving pace. Chameleon Rob Nagle has once again transformed himself into another fully-fleshed out characterization . Nagle COMMANDS the stage every second he's on it. Bravo, Mr. Nagle!
There are particular products, —merchandise, institutions and other…stuff— exports from the U.K., which the rest of the world sometimes finds difficulty to appreciate.
But not so we Americans; we're just outright baffled by them.
I refer to such English delicacies as jellied eels, spotted dick or stargazy pie; traditions the likes of cheese rolling on Cooper's Hill or encasing oneself entirely in outfits of straw on Strawberry Day, and it goes without saying this includes anything at all having to do with the game of cricket.
These certain commodities are so alien to us that the designation “British” could just as easily be “Venusian” or “Tralfamadorian.”
The plays of David Hare tend to fall into this category.
With the art-house pic The Happy Prince having recently scored its writer-director-star Rupert Everett career-best raves, the time could not be riper for The Judas Kiss to bring L.A. theater audiences to their feet. Be prepared to stand up and cheer.
That is where the skill and dexterity of a performer like Rob Nagle makes all the difference in the world. He inhabits Oscar with the kind of conviction that makes every moment telling. Whether showing the hero or the coward, the lover or the artist, Nagle is effortlessly convincing. He spends 90% of the second act in a chair, but his bon mot crackle, his arguments nearly pierce Bosie's self-absorption, and his performance is so dynamic that the character's physical and mental immobility is immaterial.
The Boston Court's production of David Hare's THE JUDAS KISS now affecting audiences thru March 24, represents a stunning achievement by Mr. Michetti, his creative team supporting the director's aims and his sterling cast and crew as well. Take a bow, ladies and gentlemen!
Director Michael Michetti gets great work from his ensemble, and his direction serves the play well, although visually things are a bit spare...
My one cavil is that the play itself is sometimes talky and repetitive and might work better with some pruning. But overall this is a smart, moving production which gives the complexities of this historical tragedy their due. If this story intrigues you, I'd encourage you to check it out. - RECOMMENDED
While there's enough chewy, intelligent dialogue to earn our attention, the one thing truly bold about Michael Michetti's bland and bemusing direction is the casting of Rob Nagle as Wilde considering Nagle was not born to play Wilde.
Michetti's light hand is usually more discernable than it is here, perhaps out of a desire to honor the author's wishes. Sometimes, finding a middle ground is best.
In a beautifully paced and sensitive staging, director Michael Michetti has assembled a mostly workmanlike cast that deftly handles the permutations of Hare's challenging text. The action unfolds in Se Hyun Oh's minimalistic scenic design, well lighted by David Hernandez, with costume designer Dianne K. Graebner cladding Nagle in epicene finery...
In a performance not to be missed, Nagle shows us the internalized anguish behind Wilde's deceptive passivity — the thwarted brilliance and loss behind his valiant savoir-faire.
Boston Court Pasadena's artistic director Michael Michetti assuredly directs his pitch-perfect cast in DEEE-livering the whip-smart words of David Hare's THE JUDAS KISS in a smooth, non-stop, totally involving pace. Chameleon Rob Nagle has once again transformed himself into another fully-fleshed out characterization . Nagle COMMANDS the stage every second he's on it. Bravo, Mr. Nagle!