By Laura Bloom Farber

I very much enjoyed the Bent Theatre’s initial production of its second season, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde.

Gross Indecency is a 1997 play written by Moises Kaufman which tells of three trials involving Oscar Wilde, best known today as the author of the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and the playwright of The Importance of Being Earnest. All three trials concerned Wilde’s relationship with a younger man, Lord Alfred Douglas. Lord Alfred’s father, the Marquess of Queensberry, publicly objected to the relationship, and Wilde sued him for libel, resulting in the first trial, which was decided against Wilde.  The Marquess then prosecuted Wilde for the crime of homosexuality, known as “gross indecency.” (The law was not revoked until 1967). The jury was unable to reach a verdict, resulting in a third trial in which Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years of hard labor.

The dialog was based on actual court documents, newspaper accounts, and letters and books about Wilde and by Wilde.  Four “narrators” (all of whom also played multiple roles, including Wilde’s other lovers and Queen Victoria, among others) cited these sources as they were used. This device seemed awkward to me at first, but as I got used to it, it did not interfere with my enjoyment of the play.

Director Steve Rosenbaum kept the play at a brisk pace. The excellent cast consisting of ten actors, many of whom also play multiple roles, brought the story to life. The play was presented, without intermission, on a single spare set consisting of a bright red throne-like chair on a small, elevated platform, the judge’s lectern, and four small chairs occupied by the four “narrators.” The wigged barristers representing all parties spoke primarily from the floor immediately in front of the stage.  The narrators were costumed in white shirts, white suspendered pants, and black bowler hats (reminiscent of Malcolm McDowell’s costume in A Clockwork Orange).

Jason Mannino portrayed Oscar Wilde with assurance, displaying in his body language the arc of his character, from his initial arrogance, assuming his wit, success, and charm would prevail in court, to his despair on his growing awareness that he was going to prison. Stan Jenson (disclosure: He is a Coachella Valley Theatre World colleague), who portrays Barrister Carson, has an exceptional speaking voice, which could make the reading of the telephone book both beautiful and compelling.  Barbara Kerr, billed as “Narrator 4” brought all her characters to life with great elan. The remaining cast, all excellent, includes Brent Anderson, Melanie Blue, Tony Bradford, Kai Brothers, Willie Mullins, Alex Price and Koby Queenen.

Gross Indecency will run for two more weekends, from Thursday, October 19th through Sunday, October 22nd, and Thursday October 26th through Saturday October 28th. All performances are at 7:00 p.m. except for Sundays, when they take place at 2 p.m. Performances are at the Palm Springs Cultural Center (the Camelot Theaters), 2300 East Baristo Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262 (across Baristo Road from Palm Springs High School). Tickets are $40.00 plus a service fee. Purchase tickets at the theatre’s web site, www.thebent.org.

The Bent, which is the Coachella Valley’s only theatre company primarily geared to the interests of the LGBTQ+ community, is a 501(c)(3) organization. Tax-deductible donations may be made online at the web site, or by check to The Bent, c/o 101 Santa Paula St., Palm Springs, CA 92264.

The rest of the offerings during the Bent’s 2023-24 season are:

Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, by Jane Chambers, directed By Rebecca McWilliams (Nov. 1-4). A landmark play with its portrayal of lesbian characters as happy, sexy, healthy, successful, and richly crafted women. The story features a close knit group of seven friends on their annual vacation at the beach, but this year a straight woman, who has left her husband, unwittingly wanders into their midst.

It’s Only a Play, by Terrance McNally, directed By Larry Lafond (Nov. 24-Dec. 10). A deliciously hilarious comedy. A wealthy, naive, first-time Broadway producer, Julia Budder, is throwing an amazingly star-studded party in her luxurious Manhattan home. An eccentric cluster of hysterical characters huddle for various reasons in Julia’s bedroom, while waiting for the opening night reviews to come in. There’s a pill-popping leading lady, a TV actor that turned down a role in the play and is secretly hoping it gets panned, a very anxious playwright, a critic who wished he was a playwright, and a director who is begging for someone to be brave enough to finally tell him that his pretentious concepts are full of crap.

The New Century, by Paul Rudnick, directed By Stan Zimmerman (February 9-18, 2024). A funny and outrageous comedy that raises questions that aren’t easily answered. Helene Nadler from Long Island, a Jewish mother who has weathered the uniquely varied coming outs of all three of her children (we get to meet her leather slave son); Ellen Diggs, a home-crafts fanatic from Decatur who originally thought the World Trade Center was attacked by people in cheap cotton fabric when she heard they were “muslin” terrorists (but she will tug on your heart when she talks about her late gay son); and Mr. Charles who was run out of Manhattan for being too stereotypically gay and now has a cable access show in Palm Beach where he is billed as “The Gayest Man in the Universe” and his very, very sexy assistant, Shane (who we get to see a WHOLE LOT of) are the delightful characters mixed together for this hysterical night of theater.

The Inheritance (Part One), by Matthew Lopez, directed By Steve Rosenbaum (April 26 - May 12). Decades after the AIDS epidemic, three generations of gay men grapple with the tragedy of their past and what it means for their future. Eric is a New York City lawyer trying to keep his family’s apartment; his boyfriend, Toby is a successful but abrasive writer, living in a state of denial. From there, a web of touching and heartbreaking stories unfold, remembering the dead and calling on the living to keep looking forward. As with Angels In America, this epic story is told in two parts. The Inheritance (Part 2) will be the opening play for The Bent’s 2024-2025 Season.