Review: Lady Windermere's Fan

Hey readers!
It's time for my review of Lady Windermere's Fan.
Towards the end of my half-term holiday, I was extremely fortunate to secure some last minute day seats to see the brand new revival of the brilliant Oscar Wilde classic 'Lady Windermere's Fan'. Where day seats are situated vary from theatre to theatre, but luckily Lady Windermere's Fan places day seat holders at the front row of the stalls, meaning I had the perfect view.

Oscar Wilde's witty play follows Lady Windermere, who has her suspicions that her husband of just under two years is having an affair with another woman. After he denies her allegations, he decides to invite the woman in question to her 21st birthday party. As anger takes over, Lady Windermere's Fan tells of a marriage marred by lies and secrecy. Lady Windermere's Fan first premiered in 1892 at the St. James's Theatre in London, where it became extremely popular. 126 years later, Lady Windermere's Fan has returned to London, and it is as fresh and relevant as ever! Oscar Wilde was clearly extremely intelligent, and this can be deducted by his writing alone. I found the hidden meanings within it to be quite interesting. Despite living in a time period where women were still seen as second-rate by some, Lady Windermere's Fan goes against female stereotypes and shows strong and independent women that are not afraid to go against the wishes of society.

Lady Windermere's Fan has a cast that is full of witty, humorous and extraordinarily talented actors. Among the cast is the one and only Jennifer Saunders, who is performing as the Duchess of Berwick. Saunders' facial expressions alone have the whole audience in stitches, and the comic relief that she brings to the play works as a nice contrast to the more serious characters of Lady Windermere's Fan. In the title role of Lady Windermere is Grace Molony, who happens to be making her West End debut. Molony is a faultless Lady Windermere, and really was a joy to watch. At her side is Joshua James as Lord Windermere, who is absolutely perfect at portraying Windermere's earnest personality. Joseph Marcell in the role of the foolish Lord Lorton is also brilliant, as is Kevin Bishop in the role of Lord Darlington, who I found to be extremely humorous; both of these actors had impeccable comic timing. Last but not least, my final special mention goes to Samantha Spiro, who portrayed Mrs. Erlynne. As always, Samantha Spiro gave a deeply moving and outstanding performance. Brining with bounds of wit and fieriness, I would argue that it was Spiro that stole the show. The remainder of the cast were all remarkable, and there were no weak links. It's an extremely entertaining production, and I largely accredit this to the cast. Having said that though, I feel that director Kathy Burke should also be applauded for what she has done with this play. By adding in various little extra parts, she has made the play even funnier than it was originally was. I hope that Oscar Wilde would be proud.

The costume designs are to best possible standard; they were absolute perfection. The sets are expertly created, and I appreciate how detailed it was. I greatly admired that Lady Windermere's terrace has been shaped like a fan; a subtle design that I only noticed at the very end of the play. The lighting design was also excellent.

Lady Windermere's Fan is the second of four Oscar Wilde plays which are to be presented at London's Vaudeville Theatre this year. Considering how much I enjoyed this play, I am eager to see the other two Oscar Wilde plays later down the line. I would urge anyone wishing to wash away those winter blues to see this play, as you are almost guaranteed to have a good time.

The featured star of Lady Windermere's Fan is, drum roll please... SAMANTHA SPIRO!

As you will have already gathered, this really was an excellent cast, and I went back and forth with choosing a featured star. Ultimately though, it was Samantha Spiro that stole the show. This is the fourth show that I have seen Samantha Spiro in and she has never disappointed. She has such a wide range of talents and I honestly do not believe it is possible for her to give a bad performance.

Now for my final verdict on Lady Windermere's Fan. I give Lady Windermere's Fan...

This was an easy rating for me to give; there is no doubt that Lady Windermere's Fan is very deserving of its 4 star rating.

Think it should have been a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.

Thanks for reading!

-The Reviewer