Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

After I saw this performance at the theater I had to get the book. It was written so well that not only does it cover the 3 trials of Wilde but it describes his whole lifestyle and way of thought. Even if you haven't seen the performance, this book is excellent and worth reading.

Gross Indecency did a fine job of revealing the puritanical injustices commited by the court of Victorian England. It gives insight into the public sentiment and attitude towards class distinction and sexuality in the late 19th century. What makes Gross Indecency work is that much of the intolerance of Wilde's time still exsists to this day. Much of the content of "Gross Indecency" has yet to be learned.

Wow! I recently reread Gross Indecency and was struck by its seemingly effortless structure and profundity. Kaufman did a masterful job of using the Wildean archives to construct a compelling and still-timely portrait of an artist under fire. Wilde is such a tragic figure, and his story says so much not only about Victorian mores but about our own. Sadly, things haven't changed much: the self-described moral arbiters of today--the Palins, Bachmans, and Angles of the world--are just as daft and pathetic as they were then. In some strange way, I find that comforting. Just a beautiful and sublime work.

i decided to read gross indecency after seeing something about it on tv. being a big fan of oscar wilde's work, i thought that it would be informative. but it went so far beyond that... the play is a little hard to get into at first, and if you're not a fan of oscar wilde, i really wouldn't recommend reading it. you can really see the oscar's transformation during the course of the three trials, from an independent artist with his own views on morality who refuses to be ashamed about his sexuality, to someone who has seen the people he was friends with testify against him over and over....i don't know how anyone could survive in such a situation..... anyway, this play gave me a whole new knowledge of the life of oscar wilde and a new respect for him, the choices that he made, and the courage that he had. if you are really interested in the life of oscar wilde, read this.

This is a great play, which reads like a novel. It was a compelling look at history, giving the reader insight into Oscar Wilde, his work, and his personal life. It made me want to read more about Wilde, and read more of his works. I had always loved The Importance of Being Ernest, now I'm looking for more!

This play seems to be true to Oscar Wilde's real biographical story in terms of its dialogues, but I did not enjoy reading it much. At first, I thought to myself: "Well, it is a PLAY, after all, may be it will seem better on a theater stage, where it belongs". So, I went to see three different versions in three different theaters. I am sorry to say, but I did not feel much better about this play after doing that. Well...if you are REALLY INTERESTED IN OSCAR WILDE, you might as well read it, but if you are only mildly interested, then this play is not for you.