Jens Harzer brings Oscar Wilde’s prison letter to anguished life on stage
The Berliner Ensemble brings Oscar Wilde's "De Profundis" to London's Coronet Theatre as a raw, anguished monologue performed by Jens Harzer. Originally written as a letter by Wilde whilst imprisoned for homosexuality, addressed to his ex-lover Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie), this rarely-staged work plumbs the depths of an artist's despair and his tortured relationship with the man he blames for his downfall. Harzer channels righteous rage whilst capturing the complexity of the author's conflicted emotions—anger, love and regret—in a performance that transcends static narration through physical expressiveness and emotional intensity.
The production employs minimalist Beckettian staging by Hansjörg Hartung, with Harzer's face initially isolated in light suggesting a figure speaking from beyond the grave. Directed by Oliver Reese and performed in German with English surtitles, the nearly two-hour monologue transforms Wilde's accusation of Bosie as a "sybaritic parasite" into urgent theatrical language. Harzer alternates between spitting accusations and delivering lines with numbed forbearance, occasionally curling into himself like Kafka's insect-man or stretching in Christ-like surrender. Despite its unrelenting darkness and bitterness, the production remains gripping and remarkably non-melodramatic, an accomplishment of considerable theatrical skill.
- Wilde's prison letter to ex-lover adapted as powerful monologue
- Harzer's performance blends rage, love and despair without overplaying
- Nearly two hours of bleak intensity proves gripping and theatrical
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Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright and writer of the late 19th century, celebrated for his wit, inventive comedies and provocative social commentary. In 1895, he was imprisoned for homosexuality, then a criminal offence, following a scandal involving his relationship with the aristocrat Lord Alfred Douglas, known as Bosie. This imprisonment destroyed his career and reputation, leaving him in disgrace and exile for the remainder of his life.
During his two years in Reading Gaol, Wilde wrote "De Profundis", a lengthy letter addressed to Douglas that remained unpublished during Wilde's lifetime. The work is an anguished exploration of his suffering, his conflicted feelings towards Douglas, and his reflections on love, betrayal and artistic integrity. It stands as one of Wilde's most intimate and philosophically profound writings.
The letter remains significant because it documents an artist's struggle with catastrophic personal and professional ruin, whilst also serving as a candid historical record of how society treated homosexuality at the time. Its themes of love, anger and redemption continue to resonate, which is why it periodically returns to theatrical and literary attention.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “De Profundis review – Oscar Wilde brought alive with righteous rage”.