Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde - Acting Edition [Paperback]

Moisés Kaufman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

In three short months, Oscar Wilde, the most celebrated playwright and wit of Victorian England, was toppled from the apex of British society into humiliation and ruin. Drawing from trial documents, newspaper accounts, and writings of the key players, Moises Kaufman ignites an incendiary mix of sex and censorship, with a cast of characters ranging from George Bernard Shaw to Queen Victoria herself.

A L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring: JB Blanc, Dakin Matthews, Ian Ogilvy, Peter Paige, Julian Sands, Simon Templeman, John Vickery, Douglas Weston, Matthew Wolf

--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 72 pages
• Publisher: Dramatists Play Service, Inc.; Acting Edition edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822216493
• ISBN-13: 978-0822216490
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > Irish
  • #72 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > British & Irish > General

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A breathtaking play that changed my life for the better., October 26, 1999

By 

Noel Perera (Long Island, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (Paperback)

Never before have I ever had the chance to read and witness such a spectacular play as this one. It not only opened my eyes to the harsh realities that a homosexual man may face, but it also allowed me to appreciate and respect their lives and struggles in a predominantly heterosexual society. This play not only captured the essence of Oscar Wilde but also can claim a spot amongst the greatest and most moving plays of all time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moises Kaufman will be a great name in theater history, December 7, 2001

By 

ELENA BROSZKOWSKI (Caracas, Venezuela) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (Paperback)

I have been lucky enough to share the initiation of Mr. Kaufman career in theater in Venezuela, have seen Gross Indecency both in New York and London several times, and have read the play, which is masterfully built. This is a unique experience, both read and seen, and believe me, Mr. Kaufman will be remembered in the future as one of the great names of theater of our time. This may sound as an exaggeration, but if you are someone who is looking for trends in theater, great acting, the influence of Brecht in new generations, never forget this author and director.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong characters shake the dust off history., July 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (Paperback)

Characters drive drama, they also breathe life into this oft-told tale of the suppression of the individual by a Victorian moral majority. Kaufman knows people thus his people live the events surrounding Wilde's trial. How righteous and how threatened they all were by the great aesthete! Yet, true to his characters, Kaufman gives each member of the audience several moments in which he or she must almost certainly say, "Yes, they were right to bring this arrogant man to the Reading treadmill." True to his protagonist, the playwrite then takes the very breath away that could utter such an arrogant conclusion. These are powerful, living words resolved to burst in the mind of an audience with disturbing, delighting mental reverberations. No reader will be unmoved.