Edinburgh Fringe 2026 A Forgotten Woman: Mrs Oscar Wilde 13 August Review
A Forgotten Woman : Mrs Oscar Wilde at the Annexe at theSpace @ Symposium Hall (Venue 43) is an engaging one-woman show written and performed by Lexi Wolfe.
Constance (Lloyd) Wilde’s story is told here through letters written to her brother, Otho Lloyd, and follows her life from schoolgirl to mature woman. Although Constance’s letters show great intelligence and sharp wit, she had little confidence in herself as a young girl, saying she had “no beauty, no conversation, no small talk” and that she was doomed to be an old maid. She shared many confidences and her innermost thoughts with Otho, and often asked him to destroy her letters after reading them.
Through the letters, we learn of her initial meeting with Oscar Wilde and their courtship when her family members didn’t really approve of him, declaring that “he’s frightfully modern”, and frowning on his long hair and aesthetic looks. It was also commented that it was an open secret that Oscar was a ladies’ man! However, despite this, Oscar proposed to Constance, she accepted, and they went on to have two sons.
Constance became quite a society woman due to her marriage to Oscar, and apart from being a wife and mother, she was a writer, and campaigner, including for the Rational Dress Society. As their marriage progressed, Oscar, however, spent increasing amounts of time staying at his club and socialising with his friends.
Constance’s great pain at Oscar’s much publicised arrest, trial and subsequent imprisonment for gross indecency, although very emotional, is narrated with great dignity, even though she had to leave the country and change her children’s names to avoid the scandal, and had to sell the family home to pay Oscar’s debts.
This beautifully written and performed work pays tribute to Constance Wilde as she wished to be remembered – as a woman who fought for the rights of other women, a woman of letters, and the mother of two wonderful children – not just as the poor wife of the disgraced Oscar Wilde.
Review by Lisa Sibbald (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
Constance (Lloyd) Wilde’s story is told here through letters written to her brother, Otho Lloyd, and follows her life from schoolgirl to mature woman. Although Constance’s letters show great intelligence and sharp wit, she had little confidence in herself as a young girl, saying she had “no beauty, no conversation, no small talk” and that she was doomed to be an old maid. She shared many confidences and her innermost thoughts with Otho, and often asked him to destroy her letters after reading them.
Through the letters, we learn of her initial meeting with Oscar Wilde and their courtship when her family members didn’t really approve of him, declaring that “he’s frightfully modern”, and frowning on his long hair and aesthetic looks. It was also commented that it was an open secret that Oscar was a ladies’ man! However, despite this, Oscar proposed to Constance, she accepted, and they went on to have two sons.
Constance became quite a society woman due to her marriage to Oscar, and apart from being a wife and mother, she was a writer, and campaigner, including for the Rational Dress Society. As their marriage progressed, Oscar, however, spent increasing amounts of time staying at his club and socialising with his friends.
Constance’s great pain at Oscar’s much publicised arrest, trial and subsequent imprisonment for gross indecency, although very emotional, is narrated with great dignity, even though she had to leave the country and change her children’s names to avoid the scandal, and had to sell the family home to pay Oscar’s debts.
This beautifully written and performed work pays tribute to Constance Wilde as she wished to be remembered – as a woman who fought for the rights of other women, a woman of letters, and the mother of two wonderful children – not just as the poor wife of the disgraced Oscar Wilde.
Review by Lisa Sibbald (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com