Lyric Hammersmith Theatre’s confident, nuanced, and vibrant version of An Ideal Husband had most of the audience — myself included — laughing out loud and audibly reacting to the twists and turns of the story.

Sir Robert Chiltern (Chiké Okonkwo) is a successful politician, respected in elite circles and seemingly devoted to his wife. However, he finds himself being blackmailed by the cunning Mrs Cheveley (Aurora Perrineau), who threatens to reveal how Chiltern first built his wealth. As loyalties are tested, how far will Robert go to protect his reputation and his marriage?

Set in modern-day London, Associate Director Nicholai La Barrie skilfully gets the best out of his brilliant cast and delivers a production that feels fresh and relevant. For a play that first premiered in 1895, Oscar Wilde’s observations on how the pitfalls of power, money, and politics can corrupt society and damage relationships are unfortunately still timely — and perhaps always will be. I found it refreshing to see an all-Black cast examining these issues. You do not often see upper-class Black stories in theatre, and this production manages to highlight many sides of Black culture while staying faithful to the (mostly) original text and themes Wilde was poking fun at.

I think the specificity of Caribbean Black culture — through the use of accents, costumes, and cultural references — helped elevate the text, which clearly seemed to resonate with the audience. There was a palpable buzz throughout the show and as people left the theatre, which is not often the case.

Rajha Shakiry’s set and costume designs have a wonderful blend of British and Afro-Caribbean influences that bring colour and energy to the storytelling. The use of modern Black music and group dance sequences also helped build the world and created a joyous atmosphere.

Overall, the actors were brilliant. Some performances were larger than life at times, but this worked well for the more farcical comedic moments. When the story needed to feel more grounded and emotional, the cast truly delivered. The chemistry between them was excellent, and you could tell they loved feeding off the audience’s energy.

Chiké Okonkwo played Mr Chiltern wonderfully, with a warmth and conviction that drew me to the character despite his questionable actions. His chemistry with Mrs Chiltern — beautifully played with depth and excellent comic timing by Tamara Lawrance — is one of the show’s highlights. Personally, I found it really moving and powerful to watch the play end with a wealthy Black couple who, despite their challenges, were willing to stay together and fight for their love.

Another highlight is Mr Chiltern’s flamboyant best friend, Lord Goring, played by Jamal Westman, whose mastery of the text and comic timing was a joy to behold. His love interest, Mabel Chiltern, played by Tiwa Lade, was equally fantastic, full of playfulness and charm. Her father, the Earl of Caversham, played by Jeff Alexander, delivered amazing physical comedy and some of the best one-liners of the night, leaving me in stitches.

Aurora Perrineau’s portrayal of the manipulative businesswoman Mrs Cheveley was believable, though at times it felt slightly wooden. Emmanuel Akwafo also did an excellent job making the most of his two smaller butler roles. At times, he merely had to turn his head and the whole room was laughing.

There were a couple of scenes that I felt could have been trimmed down, and occasionally some actors rushed through their lines. However, overall, I thought the play was excellent and would highly recommend it. This production knows exactly what it wants to be and executes it with precision, wit, and class.