Theatre Review: Gross Indecency

Gielgud Theatre, London W1 (0171-494 5065)

Playing Oscar Wilde, Michael Pennington often gives the impression that here is a man who would have been happier penning and improving a Temperance tract than composing The Picture of Dorian Gray. Yet that doesn't matter, as the arrangement of the material surrounding Wilde's infamous trials is so intelligent and compelling, and the Brechtian presentational style adopted is so apt and penetrating. The event is like a cross between courtroom drama and a fascinating crosscut mosaic.