Just one glimpse of Robert Perdziola’s sumptuous gowns and ridiculously gorgeous costumes, and you know where we are. This is the Shakespeare Theatre Company, and those are the swank society mavens of Oscar Wilde’s “An Ideal Husband.” Everything else, well, it simply doesn’t matter as much. That’s because, aside from Perdziola’s magnificent visions, director Keith Baxter is at the head of Wilde’s glamorous comedy of errors. And whenever Baxter is in town, you are almost guaranteed to enjoy the evening.
| Onstage |
| ‘An Ideal Husband’ |
| Where: The Shakespeare Theatre Company, Sidney Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW |
| When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday, 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; through April 16 |
| Info: $37 to $103; 202-547-1122; shakespearetheatre.org |
The last time Baxter brought Washington audiences a whiff of Wilde was in the shade of “Lady Windermere’s Fan.” It’s no surprise that expectations are sky-high whenever Baxter’s name is attached to a project, and here his treatment begins and ends with the elusive idea of the “Ideal.”
It isn’t just that Emily Raymond’s biting portrayal of the blackmailing Mrs. Cheveley renders her a fire-breathing dragon of a dame and hardly the worldly, wise woman that Wilde intended. Nor is it solely the peculiar way Baxter turns the tone of the play on its head at times, jostling from a breezy, fashionable affair to scathing satire in the blink of an eye. It’s that Baxter’s approach is so heavy-handed at times you forget what you’re watching is, in fact, Wilde.
Wilde’s titular character is one Sir Robert Chiltern (Gregory Wooddell), a paragon of virtue in 1895 London, a time when the highest echelons of British society fell victim to a public life that was all about keeping up appearances, no matter the cost. As with all things stylish and scandalous, there’s a bitter secret at the heart of Sir Chiltern’s success that threatens to unravel his carefully crafted career, and with it his precious reputation, his fortune, and indeed, his prized marriage.
Enter the lady of the house (Rachel Pickup), a wholesome willow of a wife who simply cannot accept that her spouse may be any less than “ideal,” and you have a script rife with antics and dilemmas inflicted by such harsh moral code.
Wooddell and Pickup provide solid skill for their chiding Chilterns, and Cameron Folmar is a fantastic foil as Lord Goring. There are also fine comedic turns from Shakespeare veterans Nancy Robinette and David Sabin — but in the end, the most winning performances come from Perdziola’s luscious costumes and Simon Higlett’s regal set design, evoking the grand parlors of the esteemed 19th century elite. In that sense, with such lavish architecture and fancy apparel, Baxter’s retelling is nothing less than ideal.
