Heroine of ‘Constance Wilde’ Remains in Husband’s Shadow

Being the wife of Oscar Wilde was an especially thankless lot in life. Eclipsed by her husband’s fame as the premier intellect and wit of Victorian society, then marginalized by his roaming homosexual exploits and finally disgraced by his public persecution, Constance Wilde is remembered, if at all, as a minor orbiting satellite in her husband’s notorious history.

With his three-character drama, “The Secret Fall of Constance Wilde,” the Irish writer Thomas Kilroy tries to rescue Constance from obscurity, recounting the high price she paid for her husband’s ruin and speculating on her unrelated private tragedies. Alas, Kilroy’s efforts to keep Constance in the spotlight are only partly successful despite a serious-minded, handsomely staged production at the Celtic Arts Center.

After a promising, spirited confrontation between the estranged couple, and some well-scripted monologues from its heroine, the long-suffering Constance (Karen Ryan) ends up taking a back seat to the irresistibly magnetic presence of Oscar (Craig Aldrich). She all but disappears for long stretches as Kilroy’s play gets sidetracked, rehashing territory covered in several recent dramatic portraits of Wilde--his trial, imprisonment and tortured relationship with Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas (Christopher Michaels).

There’s commendable complexity in Oscar’s affection and pity for Constance, but the woman herself remains an enigma, yielding no clue as to her passions. Kilroy’s theory about the central trauma of her life is tacked on almost as an afterthought.

Peter Wittrock’s staging skillfully employs visually striking elements from Japanese Noh theater, including silent, masked attendants to assemble abstract sets from circular platforms. Amid this surreal tableau, historical details are inseparable from fanciful speculation (some of which strains credibility, especially in attributing so much cunning and self-awareness to the shallow Bosie).

Notably absent from this grim treatment is the dazzling wit that Oscar used to navigate his adversities. Very committed performances don’t make a sufficiently convincing case for the importance of being over-earnest.

“The Secret Fall of Constance Wilde,” Celtic Arts Center, 4843 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Studio City. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends May 12. $15. (818) 760-8322. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes.