Search

Saved articles

You have not yet added any article to your bookmarks!

Browse articles

GDPR Compliance

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.

Wilde Women

 
Richard Beck Review by Richard Beck 3 Published: 6 Aug 2025 Greenside @ George Street Show Dates: 1 Aug 2025-16 Aug 2025

Krista Scott gives a gushing performance as the glamorous and legendary Victorian actress and socialite Lillie Langtry in Wilde Women at Greenside @ George Street.

A wonderful opportunity to hear the great speeches and revel in the world of Wilde

Her solo show celebrates Oscar Wilde’s most powerful women. She dramatically enters through the theatre door wearing a stunning deep purple bustle dress. It’s 1900 and we’re in her dressing room at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, where she is playing the lead in Sydney Grundy’s The Degenerates. The furniture and trinkets are redolent of the period, transporting us to a bygone age.

She is awaiting the arrival of a crucial telegram from her dearest friend Oscar Wilde, who has resided in Paris since his release from Reading Gaol, having served his prison sentence for gross indecency. She has in mind a play that presents all his most illustrious female characters – Cecily, Salomé, Mrs Cheveley, Lady Windermere and, of course, Lady Bracknell – but she cannot proceed without his approval and cooperation. She sees it as an opportunity to make amends for, like the rest of society, she had distanced herself from him at the time of his arrest. She believes it will restore his reputation and, equally importantly, revive her own fading stardom.

The plays are stacked on an occasional table and for the rest of the show she works her way through them, explaining the importance of the female characters, taking on their roles and performing extracts from their most important monologues. We are also given a good measure of historical context, with references to the famous theatrical names of the day, and we learn of Wilde’s importance in establishing strong, independent women as protagonists, and his influence.

The play is rich in content and perhaps overflowing. Scott rattles through the performance repertoire at considerable speed, giving classic interpretations, although there are times when it has the tones of a lecture. Overall, however, it’s a wonderful opportunity to hear the great speeches and revel in the world of Wilde.

Related to this article:

Location:

Performances

The Blurb:

Lillie Langtry, celebrated British actress and consort to Edward, Prince of Wales, anxiously awaits a telegram in her backstage dressing room from her dear friend, Oscar, recently released from incarceration for 'gross indecencies'. With the help of her backstage visitors, she begins to assemble the material for their grand stage comeback, Wilde Women, featuring all the iconic playwright's illustrious ladies, from Cecily to Salome, who set the stage for the era of the strong female protagonist. Which will be the centerpiece of their creation? Mrs. Cheverly? Lady Windermere? Lady Bracknell? Oscar must decide!