UCL Students’ Union Drama Society is putting on a performance of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband at the Bloomsbury Theatre this week.
Directed by Sophie Eaton and Jai Britto, they intend to “pull this classic period drama out of its usual mould with a production as flamboyant, novel, and politically biting as Wilde intended it”.
Amidst the glamour and frivolity of high society centred on the Chiltern household, a series of scandals are exposed, forcing the characters to confront which of their ideals they are willing to sacrifice for love.
Conspiracies and miscommunications make for daft comedy and political satire which show us that everything and nothing is as it seems.
The Chilterns’ ideal marriage is threatened by a mysterious lady and a dodgy deal made eighteen years earlier. The plot thickens when it appears her past features both Chiltern and his best friend Goring whose precious career, not as a politician but as a bachelor, is also threatened when he is given 24 hours to find a wife. He finds much more, with a third Chiltern.
Cast list
| Character | Name |
| Lady Gertrude Chiltern | Alice Hemmings (she/her) |
| Mrs Laura Cheveley | Avesta Maqsudi (she/her) |
| Miss Mabel Chiltern | Leah Dawson (she/her) |
| Lord Arthur Goring | Rob Davidson (he/him) |
| Sir Robert Chiltern | Josh Moore (he/him) |
| Lady Markby | Davy Tennison (they/he) |
| Lord Caversham | Mary McHarg (they/she) |
| Mrs Marchmont | Angel Lolia (She/her) |
| The Countess of Basildon | Sara Stemmons (she/her) |
| Mr Montford | Oliver Pillings (he/him) |
| Vicomte de Nanjac | Bruno Hawkins |
| Mrs James (The Chilterns’ Housekeeper) / ENSEMBLE | Bella Henderson (she/her) |
| Phipps (Goring’s Butler) / ENSEMBLE | Rory Graham (he/him) |
| Mason (Butler to the Chilterns’) / | Max James |
| Tommy Trafford (Lord Chiltern’s Secretary) / ENSEMBLE | Alex Dunn (he/him) |
| Lady Caversham / ENSEMBLE | Mia Ramage (she/her) |
| Harold (Footman to the Chilterns’) / ENSEMBLE | Jay Maqsood (they/them) |
| Duchess of Maryborough / ENSEMBLE | Boyan Wang (she/her) |
| Lady Jane Barford / ENSEMBLE | Liberty Blackwood (she/her) |
| Lady Simone / ENSEMBLE | Rachel Weller (she/her) |
| Lady Theodora / ENSEMBLE | Jennifer Baron (she/her) |
Production team
- Directors: Jai Britto and Sophie Eaton
- Producers: Alexis Rendel and Seth Robinson
- Costume Head: Mara George
- Costume Team: Oliver Reynolds, Sophia Wallin
- Hair and Makeup: Alix le Hello
- Assistant Director: Charlotte Poole
- Assistant Producer: Olive Tao and Oliver Reynolds
- Production Manager: Yvette Ge
- Set Designer: Rie Ye
- Props Team: Yujin Jeong and Charlotte Thistlewood
- Sound Designer: Alicia Peacock
- Stage Manager: Megan Page
- Lighting Designer: Aran Baskar