Stage Review
'Gross Indecency' depicts poet's spiraling fall

By Joseph T. Rozmiarek
Advertiser Theatre Critic

•	"Gross Indecency, The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde" 7:30 p.m. today, Thursday, Friday and next Saturday, June 28-30 and July 5-7; 4 p.m. tomorrow, and June 24 and July 1 The Actors' Group, Yellow Brick Studio, 625 Keawe St. $10, limited seating, 591-7999

Almost a century before the phrase "gay pride" was coined, Wilde became a political scapegoat for daring to openly maintain a loving relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, son of the Marquis of Queensberry, and to publicly refuse to deny it.

Kaufman's play illuminates the complex characters of these three men, and traces Wilde's spiraling decline through a series of court cases that attack both his behavior and his art. Directed by Brad Powell for The Actors' Group, the oppressive character of the proceedings is amplified by the tiny performance space.

Wilde's greatest sin and his dramatic flaw may have been his sense of invincibility. At the time of his trial, he was comparatively wealthy, having published "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and enjoying simultaneous production of his plays, "The Importance of Being Earnest" and "An Ideal Husband." He was society's darling, largely by making witty fun at society's expense.

Wilde is played in this production by Richard MacPherson as self-assured to the point of smugness and noble in advancing art as the leading edge of civilization. As the play progresses, legal arguments and damning testimony grind him back to the common denominator of convicted felon.

Noah Johnson plays Douglas, a dangerous mixture of emotions as a young man flattered at Wilde's attention and bitterly hateful toward a boorish and distant father.

David Schaeffer appears as Queensberry, something of a fanatic and a social misfit, but also a father fiercely attacking a man he believes to be corrupting his son.

Queensberry writes a note, labeling Wilde as "posing as a Sodomite." In the first trial, Wilde sues him for slander, then drops the charges at the prospect of damning testimony from young male prostitutes. The second trial charges Wilde with "gross indecency" for his homosexual behavior, but ends with a hung jury. The third convicts him.

Throughout the proceedings, Wilde denies the charges and defends himself through his work — claiming there is no immoral art, only bad writing. He scoffs at the chance to flee the country and dares the court to find him guilty.

Privately, he admits his behavior but is bewildered by Douglas' desertion and his personal defeat by commonplace morality. Ultimately, regardless of our own politics or ethics, the audience feels the tragedy of his pride and the cost of his fall.

The TAG production reveals the characters without ennobling or damning them and presents the issues without a political spin.

Ultimately, there is only sadness that talent and human feeling are the ultimate victims.