Taking Wilde to his heart

Playwright David Hare tells Pádraic Killeen about his fascination with the ‘Irish socialist’ and his relevance to modern audiences

A GIANT of modern British theatre, playwright David Hare visits Dublin next week with a revival of his 1998 play The Judas Kiss, which centres on two pivotal moments in the life of Oscar Wilde. Rupert Everett plays the famous Irish writer, and his performance earned critical plaudits when the production ran in London’s Hampstead Theatre recently.

Hare, too, is full of praise for Everett. “There’s something extraordinary about a man who is himself very, very witty and literate, as Rupert is, merging with Oscar Wilde,” he says. “If you talk to Rupert he’s as sharp as a knife. It’s a rare example of an actor being able to play an intellectual and totally convince you that they’re that person.”