During his time in Reading Gaol, playwright David Hale tells us, that Oscar Wilde had been reading about The Christ. In the last moments of this play, Oscar Wilde ponders that Judas was a virtual stranger to Jesus. How much better would it have been he reasons to have been betrayed not by a stranger but by John, the one he loved most.
The Judas Kiss is a play in two acts set on the last day before the arrest of Oscar Wilde in the rich red velvet drapes of the Cadogan Hotel suite in 1895 to the stark contrast of a minimalistic white on white set representing the abject poverty of Naples two years later.
Yet The Judas Kiss is so much more than a rendition in two acts of a purportedly befallen Oscar Wilde. The expected witticisms for which Wilde was renowned are inset but gently and underplayed. The Judas Kiss is as much a play about love (conditional and unconditional) and power, a statement of social structures and class, a comment on prejudice. Beyond this interwoven into the play is a great debate that questions the very fabric of society, ethics, philosophy and even faith.
Sitting on the same front row bench, audience member Camille Cook mentioned that in 2012 she and her husband had seen the Hampshire Theatre production of The Judas Kiss starring Rupert Everett as Oscar Wilde. This Red Line Production at the Old Fitz she advised she enjoyed much more. Why? Perhaps it was the intimacy of the theatre. That certainly added to our uptake, our participation, our connection, our intrigue, our enjoyment. Yet what she felt brought this Saturday night performance to the fore, was the strong casting, the super acting of each individual and the dynamic between them all. I concur. The production was beyond faultless.
In the lead role as Oscar Wilde, Josh Quong Tart provides us an extraordinary portrayal that balances the essence of the poet playwright at his finest, his deepest thoughts and light hearted quips, with his peaceful strength and broken heart. Somehow Tart seems to shift his delivery in perfect timing of every word and expression right down to the changes in gaze and the welling of tears. Even each pause is fragrant and perfectly timed.
Alongside him the full cast reside connected in each moment of gravity. Hayden Mayer as Lord Alfred shimmers between the aristocratic eccentricities of his birth and entitlement through the glowing eyes of his love. In fact each of those who took to the stage delivered brilliantly to each of their roles: Robert Alexander, Luke Fewster, Simon London, Hannah Raven and David Soncin. From the first beat to the last breath, this ensemble have captured each nuance, each complexity.
Not only has Director Iain Sinclair collected the most perfectly suited cast but his gifted hand shines through every aspect of the Red Line Production performance. From the symbolic light of crucifixion to the flicker of only a kerosene lamp, the lighting adds deep impetus and impact, and sometimes even relief and humour, from the moment we are transported to the 19th century.
Not long into the curtain call I rose to my feet as I applauded. And as I turned around, gazing up into the Old Fitz Theatre tiers I noticed many others in the audience were doing the same.
Red Line Productions is pleased to be partnering with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras again to present this new production of David Hare’s acclaimed play The Judas Kiss from February 15th for a limited four-week season. Photos by John Marmaras.
