OSCAR WILDE’S ‘AN IDEAL HUSBAND’ PLAYS IN NY THEATRE

• By Mabel Pais

‘AN IDEAL HUSBAND,’ OSCAR WILDE’s classic play, will be played at The Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at A.R.T./New York Theatres  of The Storm Theatre Company (stormtheatre.com) (Peter Dobbins, Artistic Director). The performance will take place at 502 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019 (@ 10th Avenue). Performances begin on Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 7:30pm and continue through Saturday evening, February 21.

Peter Dobbins, artistic director, was hailed by The New York Times for the 2012 production of ‘The London Merchant,’ calling it one of “The Most Galvanizing Moments of 2012.”

A glittering comedic classic, ‘An Ideal Husband’ is as timely as it is timeless, blending blackmail, political scandal and looming personal disgrace in a story that’s both deeply moving and irresistibly funny. It promises to be a joyous theatrical experience you won’t want to miss.

CREDITS: CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM

Directed by Peter Dobbins, the cast includes Chase Bishop as Lord Goring, David Bodenschatz as Mason, Connie Castanzo as Mrs. Chevely, Evangelia Kingsley as Lady Markby, Madelyn Monaghan as Lady Gertrude Chiltern, Heather Olson as Mabel Chiltern, Carl Pasbjerg as Lord Caversham, Jed Peterson as Sir Robert Chiltern, and Ed Prostak as Phipps.

The creative team is Daniel Prosky (set design), Michael Abrams (lighting design), Sandrina Sparagna (costume design), and Andy Evan Cohen (sound design). The assistant director is Joe Danbusky. The production stage manager is Michelle Pomponio. The Associate Artistic Director is Fleur Phillips Dobbins.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

February 5 – 21. Wednesday-Saturday at 7:30pm; Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm.

TICKETS

Tickets may be purchased online at https://stormtheatre.ludus.com

BIOS

PETER DOBBINS (Director) is a cofounder of The Storm Theatre, and has directed such Storm productions as T.S. Eliot’s ‘Murder in the Cathedral,’ Dion Boucicault’s ‘The Shaughraun,’ John Regis’s ‘Stavrogin’s Confession,’ Stewart Parker’s ‘Spokesong,’ William Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It,’ ‘The Tempest,’ ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and ‘Twelfth Night,’ Karol Wojtyla’s ‘The Jeweler’s Shop,’ ‘Job, Jeremiah, and Our God’s Brother,’ the North American Premiere of ‘’House of Desires’ by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, and the world premieres of  ‘The Last Starfighter’ by Skip Kennon and Fred Landau and ‘’Linnea’ by John Regis. As an actor, he has been seen as T.E Lawrence (Ross) in ‘Ross’ by Terrence Rattigan, and Mesa in Paul Claudel’s Noon Divide_ and has played leading roles in various regional theatres. Learn more at www.facebook.com/peter.dobbins.56.

FLEUR PHILLIPS DOBBINS (Associate Director) has been working for 30+ years in the entertainment industry as actress, director and playwright. She has appeared on and off Broadway as well as regionally in the US. Storm productions include ‘The Surprise’ (2015), ‘The Fight & Deconstruction’ (2017) and ‘The Rainmaker’ (2018). Most recently she performed her one woman musical, ‘Who’s My Girl?,’ at the Fort Worth Int’l Fringe Festival and her play, ‘Home,’ was accepted to ‘Missed The Boat’ New Works Festival in Fall ’25. Fleur studied Shakespeare at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and has a BFA in acting from Southern Methodist University. Learn more @fleuralysdobbins  and www.fleuralysdobbins.com

The Storm Theatre Company

The Storm Theatre Company’s 1997 inaugural production of ‘Murder in the Cathedral’ by T.S. Eliot was staged on the altar of the Church of the Holy Cross on 42nd Street in New York City for virtually no money. Since that rather modest beginning, ‘The Storm’ has produced over 60 plays of astonishing scope and audacious breadth.

The name “Storm” was chosen to represent a journey through catharsis and regeneration. Inspired by Elizabethan Theatres such as Shakespeare’s ‘The Globe’ and ‘The Rose,’ The Storm Theatre Company proved an apt name for its mission – to reawaken audiences to the awe-inspiring truths of our shared humanity: its beauty and potential.

Such aspirations have led The Storm Theatre Company to produce quite a varied selection of plays over the last quarter century. Our second show, Dion Boucicault’s ‘The Shaughraun,’ was the first production in New York City in over 100 years, and subsequently led to a resurgence of this neglected nineteenth century theater genius’s work. The Storm rediscovered other forgotten gems such as Edward Bulwar Lytton’s ‘Money’ (1840); Thomas Dekker’s ‘The Shoemaker’s Holiday’ (1599); Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’ ‘The House of Desires’ (1683); and George Lillo’s ‘The London Merchant’ (1731), all produced to great critical success.

In addition, The Storm Theatre Company produced three plays by the French playwright, Paul Claudel. While Claudel is one of France’s most revered, his work is rarely staged in the United States. Storm Theatre produced the epic work ‘The Satin Slipper’ as well as the mysterious and intriguing ‘Noon Divide’; the haunting play, ‘The Tidings Brought to Mary,’ and had three successful Storm Theatre productions.

In 2007, The Storm Theatre Company produced a festival of the work of Polish playwright and actor Karol Wojtyła, including ‘Our God’s Brother,’ ‘The Jeweler’s Shop,’ ‘Jeremiah,’ and ‘Job’. Wojtyła seemed destined to become a major theatrical force but instead went on to become canonized Pope John Paul II.

In its 24th season, The Storm Theatre Company mission has inspired productions of an unusual assortment of plays including ‘Marius’ by Marcel Pagnol (part of his Marseilles trilogy); Terrence Rattigan’s ‘Ross’ (about Lawrence of Arabia); a rare NYC revival of Saroyan’s ‘The Time of Your Life;’ a staged version of Graham Greene’s novel ‘The Power and The Glory;’ ‘Le Cid’ by Pierre Corneille in a new verse translation by Richard Wilbur; ‘Gillette’ by William Hauptman; Stewart Parker’s, ‘Spokesong;’ Jim Nolan’s ‘The Salvage Shop;’ Stavrogin’s ‘Confession’ by John Regis (adapted from Dostoevsky’s ‘The Demons’); and much more. With ‘Antigone,’ The Storm Theatre Company returned to Jean Anouilh having produced his  ‘Eurydice’ in May/June of 2000. Interspersed throughout the years, The Storm Theatre Company has delighted audiences with productions of ‘As You Like It,’ ‘The Tempest,’ ‘Twelfth Night’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ featuring of all things, a former Miss America and an NFL Hall of Famer.

Most recently The Storm Theatre Company has produced original productions of new plays: ‘The Believers’ by Robert Carroll, ‘Deconstruction’ and ‘The Fight’ by Jonathan Leaf; The New York premiere ‘Sister Calling My Name’ by Buzz McLaughlin and the North American premiere of ‘Collaborators’ by John Hodge. Learn more at https://stormtheatre.ludus.com.

A.R.T./New York Theatres (The Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York)

Established in 1972 by an innovative collective, A.R.T./New York has matured into an indispensable cornerstone for over 475 theatres and more than 150 individual producers and artists throughout all five boroughs of New York City and across the state. As the singular membership organization dedicated to encompassing New York’s entire not-for-profit theatre sector, A.R.T./New York’s reach extends from playwriting collectives and developmental labs to producing organizations and pioneering independent artists. A.R.T./NY continues to serve the field through four essential service areas — Funding, Space, Professional Development and Advocacy — in order to help theatremakers put their creative ideas on stage. Learn more at https://art-newyork.org.

Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Spirituality, Social Issues, Education, Business, Health and Wellness, and Cuisine.