Oscar at The Crown – Friday 11th July 2025

This musical was a bit different, in that it took place within the setting of a nightclub that’s supposed to be in the future, so the audience is basically stood around, whilst the actors perform around us. Kudos for trying something different, but I prefer the traditional ‘sit down’ affair.

As for the show itself; it was a campy, glitter infested celebration of Oscar Wilde; his rampant homosexuality and a particular emphasis on the wife he left behind (who was also a talented writer, but forgotten by history).

The device of setting the show in the future, where things are banned or outlawed, didn’t add much, but instead made it confusing. Why not just tell the story of Oscar Wilde, or his wife?

I knew very little about Oscar Wilde going in, and after the show, I got the sense that he was little more than a selfish hedonist who abandoned his wife and kids so he could gallivant around town having affairs.

It was a decent show, but nothing special. The staging was the most memorable thing about it, rather than the story, songs, or performances, so despite my criticisms of it, I guess it worked!