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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Arifa Akbar

De Profundis review – Oscar Wilde brought alive with righteous rage

A dishevelled man in a bloodstained shirt and tie sits perched on stage, grimacing, in De Profundis
Anger is an energy … Jens Harzer in De Profundis. Photograph: Joerg Brueggemann/Ostkreuz

Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis really does belong to the depths. Written as a letter to his ex-lover after being jailed for homosexuality, it reflects soul-crushing torments.

Its adaptation into a monologue rarely gets an outing, perhaps because it is so bleak, but is staged by the Berliner Ensemble with heaps of extra angst for good measure.

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