'Oscar
Wilde, did you say? That's all you lot ever ask about . . . It's
my life now.'
These plaintive notes form the opening chord of Thomas
Kilroy's probing new play, the story of Oscar Wilde's lover, Lord
Alfred Douglas, struggling to reclaim his own identity.
Forever linked to Wilde and the notorious trials which led to
Wilde's imprisonment, Douglas — or 'Bosie' — lived for nearly
half a century after the death of Wilde in 1900. As the Second
World War rages outside, his monologue reveals unexpected depths
of feeling and humour as he copes with marriage and the tragic
fate of his only son.
My Scandalous Life is a counterpoint to The Secret Fall
of Constance Wilde, one of the many acclaimed plays by Thomas Kilroy, a writer deservedly recognized for his 'Lifetime Achievement' in the Irish Times / ESB Theatre Awards 2004.
