An Ideal Husband

Having been to the launch of Get Into London Theatre (which again is a whole other blog), I thought I'd check out what deals they had to offer. If you haven't already come across it, Get Into London Theatre is a scheme that promises "big shows at small prices" to encourage people to, quite literally, Get Into London Theatre - it does what it says on the tin! They are offering some fantastic deals but it was the £25 tickets to An Ideal Husband (full price over £50) at the Vaudeville Theatre that really caught my eye. So on January 12th off I toddled to the matinee performance.

I'm rather partial to a bit of Oscar Wilde although I don't pretend to be particularly clued up on his work, and this is a play I didn't know a huge amount about before I entered the theatre. It has all the complicated plot twists that you would expect from Wilde, along with the clever speaches and sharp humour. What I like most about his plays are the observations of people and society that are as true now as when they were written, and An Ideal Husband is a brilliant example of this.

The whole cast were superb and played their roles to perfection, with Alexander Hanson and Rachael Stirling as the leads and Samantha Bond as the villain of the piece. Worthy of a special mention was Elliot Cowan as Viscount Goring. His comedy timing was excellent and, as the plot became more and more complicated around him, with the tiniest of looks and facial expressions he had the whole audience laughing. His performance was complemented beautifully by Max Digby, who played his servant. Although he didn't have a huge amount to say, his entrances and exits were timed wonderfully for comedic effect.

Sadly, there were quite a few empty seats in the stalls where I was sat, which is a shame as such a fine production deserves to be playing to packed houses. I certainly wouldn't have been able to afford the full price of the seat I was in and I can't help but think that if the prices were a little lower, even if only for the matinee,  then some of those empty seats would be filled. That said, this production is well worth the money so if you'd like to see it you'll find more information here:
http://www.vaudeville-theatre.co.uk/current-show.htm
And if you'd like to take advantage of one of Get Into London Theatre's offers then you only have until February 18th so check out their website now:
http://www.getintolondontheatre.co.uk/