De Profundis - Oscar Wilde's final days

In 1985 playwright, wordsmith and all-round Victorian dandy Oscar Wilde was sentenced to a two year stint in Reading Jail for being a homosexual – then considered a crime under the Gross Indecency Act. De Profundis is a musical adaptation of the letter that Wilde wrote to his lover Lord Alfred Douglas (or ‘Bosie’ as he is more commonly known) from his prison cell. As Wilde, Alastair Brookshaw’s performance is a truly compelling experience as he captures his sense of shame, anger, vulnerability and philosophical reflections splendidly. With music and lyrics by Paul Dale Vickers it soon becomes clear why De Profundis was the deserving winner of the inaugural Leicester Square Theatre’s New Musical Project.

In the basement of Leicester Square Theatre is the Lounge Theatre a small space with an intimate nature that heightens the claustrophobic nature of Wilde’s prison cell. Staged simply with only a stark wooden bench, Wilde explains through lament-filled songs the betrayal and hurt he feels that his aristocratic lover Bosie betrayed him and how ultimately, with the assistance of Bosie’s father, is responsible for his imprisonment. Yet, somehow despite the shame and ridicule that his lover has brought upon him, Wilde simply can not bring himself to stop loving him.

The intrinsically melodic nature of Wilde’s penmanship translates well into Vickers’ soaring musical phrases that are brimming with sorrow, putting Wilde’s inimitable phrases such as ‘hang the night with stars so that I may walk about in darkness without stumbling’ makes for some hauntingly moving lyrics. I also particularly enjoyed the autobiographical nature of the work, as we learn of his bankruptcy, that his mother has died during his incarceration, and perhaps the blow that Wilde found most distressing, the fact the courts said he was an unfit father and denied him any contact with his much-loved and cherished sons Cyril and Vyvyan. You cannot help but feel moved by Brookshaw’s intense and earnest delivery of Wilde’s tragic demise.


For the most part De Profundis was an accomplished and enjoyable production, however I do wish that director Stuart Saint had reminded Brookshaw that when you have audience seated around three sides of the stage, you need to consider where you’re standing to ensure that everybody can enjoy your performance equally. Personally, as somebody that sat on the left hand side of the stage there were far too many moments where all I could see was Brookshaw’s side profile. That said, his depiction of Wilde is delivered with heartfelt conviction. De Profundis is a terrific one-act musical, devised by Vickers that provides a deeper insight into one of the world’s most celebrated playwright’s darkest moments.