‘Husband’ is an ideal diversion

Oscar Wilde is well known for his ability to rock a theatre with laughter. “An Ideal Husband” displays Wilde's celebrated wit, but it also shows that he can spin a suspenseful tale of love and political intrigue.

Fresno State audiences will get a chance to experience that at performances of “An Ideal Husband” Dec. 5-6 and 9-13 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. All performances are in the John Wright Theatre located in the Speech Arts Building.

Tickets are $7 for Fresno State Students; $12 for Fresno State faculty/staff, seniors, members of the Alumni Association, and students at other schools; and $14 general admission. For more information, call the Theatre Box Office at 8-2216.

The play takes the audience to England at the end of the 19th century. There, they will be introduced to Lord Arthur Goring, played by Brandon Petrie. Goring is described by friends as "the idlest man in London;" his favorite pastimes are engaging in slothful activities, flirting with Mabel Chiltern (Jacquelyn Babb), the only woman who can match him word-for-word in a duel of wits, and avoiding being pushed into marriage by his stodgy father, the Earl of Caversham (Daniel Moore). He rigorously avoids discussing serious subjects, asserting, "I love talking about nothing. It's the only thing I know anything about."

Lord Goring's closest friends are Sir Robert Chiltern (Elliott Montgomery) and his wife, Lady Gertrude (Stephanie Michelle French). Robert is an upright man of impeccable reputation and his wife is devoted to him. Several days before Robert is to speak before Parliament to denounce potential British support for an act to cut a canal through Argentina, he is approached by the devious Mrs. Laura Cheveley (Kimberly Nicole Wood), who has just returned to London from Vienna. She offers him money to support the canal, and when he refuses, she comments that every man has his price. Her next action is to blackmail him. Unless he capitulates, she will ruin his career and wreck his marriage by revealing the secret of how he acquired his wealth.

The play covers a great deal of ground, crossing a treacherous minefield of politics, blackmail, betrayal, mistaken identities and romance. Like nearly everything written by Wilde, “An Ideal Husband” contains a fair share of barbed social commentary.

Some of the play’s memorable lines: "In the old days, we had the rack. Now we have the press." "Scandals used to lend charm or interest to a man. Nowadays, they crush him." And "To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."