An 'Ideal' production at American Stage

Review

The American Stage production of Oscar Wilde's "An Ideal Husband" came close to outshining the playwright's brilliant treatise on corruption.

With Daniel Morris' clever adaptation, Todd Olson's streamlined directing, doubly farcical and gorgeous costumes by Anne Miggins, and an incomparable cast, this show combined the best that theater has to offer.

The play is set in 1895, a year firmly grounded in an era referred to as the "Mauve Decade," the "Gay Nineties" or the "Gilded Age." Sir Robert Chiltern (Richard B. Watson) is a popular and esteemed member of England's House of Commons. His wife (Magdalyn Donnelly) views him as "an ideal husband"—unfailingly honest, full of boundless integrity, upstanding in every way.

Enter Mrs. Cheveley (Amanda Collins), a cunning, ambitious woman bent on ruining Sir Robert. If he does not endorse the scheme she proposes, she will publicly release a letter proving his wealth was born of corruption.

With his marriage and career on the line, Sir Robert asks for help from his friend Lord Goring (Lewis D. Wheeler), a goodhearted playboy with a healthy dose of common sense. When a second letter emerges and is roundly misinterpreted, Lord Goring steps in to right wrongs and draw the truth from his friends in order to clear the air once and for all.

Wilde's original work demands a large cast, but Morris' adaptation calls for only four actors, each taking on multiple roles using a series of costume changes. The play is witty as is, but this quick-change bit takes it to a whole new level of hilarity.

Part of the fun of this production was watching who would emerge from the wings. As in an arcade shooting game, the actors rotated like moving targets across the stage, around the corner into the wings, behind a curtain wall and back around, often returning to the stage as a different character. The funniest gag was that each performer took turns as Mason, the doddering butler, and Phipps, the valet.

All four actors gave stellar performances—in every role, wig and dress. They seamlessly transitioned from one character to the next and returned to their usual parts as though they were never made to swap pearls for tails.

Of all the costumes, the red velvet gown Collins wore as Mrs. Cheveley stood out the most. It was gorgeous and immediately brought to mind "The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing," the 1955 film that fictionalized the true and scandalous story of actress/model Evelyn Nesbit, her former lover, architect Stanford White, and her husband, tycoon Harry K. Thaw.

"An Ideal Husband" is another American Stage must-see.

An Ideal Husband

WHEN: Through Dec. 24; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

WHERE: American Stage Theatre Company at the Raymond James Theatre, 163 Third St. N., St. Petersburg; call (727) 823-7529 or visit www.americanstage.org

HOW MUCH: $29-$47, depending on date and time of performance

RUNNING TIME: Approximately 120 minutes

--Kathy L. Greenberg