Character: Arthur Wellesley

Directed by: Neil Armfield

Written by: David Hare

Produced by: Robert Fox

Cast Members: Rupert Everett, Kirsty Oswald, Tom Colley, Freddie Fox, Cal MacAninch, Alister Cameron

Venue: Hampstead Theatre, Duke of York's Theatre (West End)

Production Dates: September 6, 2012 - October 13, 2012 (Hampstead), January 9, 2013 - April 6, 2013 (West End)

Genre: Biography, Drama

Oscar Wilde’s dangerous philosophy leads him on a path to destruction. The Judas Kiss describes two pivotal moments on that path: the day Wilde decides to stay in England and face imprisonment, and the night, after his release two years later, when the lover for whom he risked everything betrays him. With a quiet but burning sense of outrage, David Hare presents the consequences of taking an uncompromisingly moral position in a world defined by fear, expedience and conformity.

“Ben Hardy (as the lusty, sometimes naked, bi-sexual Arthur) is completely alive, focused and contributing in every scene in which he appears.” – Stephen Collins

“The production is highly sexual, but in a matter-of-fact way: Even before the central characters first enter, The Judas Kiss shows us a behind-the-scenes world of sexuality at odds with the Victorian public image that Wilde would become the fall-guy for: Instead of making up Bosie’s hotel room, chambermaid Phoebe (Kirsty Oswald) and porter Arthur (Ben Hardy) are having sex in his bed. When hotel manager Moffatt (Alister Cameron) catches them, Arthur flashes him, suggesting what the punishment Moffatt promises him later might be. The stocky, surprisingly deep-voiced Hardy’s the first of three in the play. (And my personal favourite. His relevant area had a lot of personality.)” – Partially Obstructed View