A dangerous comedy of public image and private honour.

For Gertrude Chiltern, living by the highest moral standards is more important than anything: wealth, status - even love. She is fortunate, then, that her husband, Sir Robert, is the embodiment of her ideal: a junior Cabinet minister of growing influence, he enjoys a reputation for scrupulous honesty.

But is that reputation entirely deserved? The notorious Mrs. Cheveley has good reason to think otherwise. And at a reception at the Chilterns` London townhouse, Mrs. Cheveley confronts Sir Robert with damning evidence of a past misdeed; evidence which, if made public, would destroy his career - and his marriage - at a stoke. Even worse, the price for Mrs. Cheveley`s silence is not money, but a political favour that would require Sir Robert to ‘mislead' the Government.

In despair, Sir Robert turns for help to his friend, Lord Goring, a foppish socialite of some renown. Goring, it transpires, knows Mrs. Cheveley of old and has a plan to help Sir Robert. But Goring`s clever proposal has unexpected consequences. And he, Sir Robert and Gertrude have to engage in a complex and dangerous game with the vicious Mrs. Cheveley - a game in which the stakes could not be higher . . .

An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde is a dark, glittering comedy which explores the risks inherent in a life lived in the public spotlight: must a politician be perfect? Is it right that anyone should be judged entirely by their past? In 1895, such questions caused a sensation; with new questions about political integrity now dominating our own age, this elegant, stylish work retains a surprisingly sharp contemporary resonance.

Opening on 15th July, An Ideal Husband will play in repertoire until 15th October. Tickets are available from box office: 01796 484626 or here online.