The Importance of Being Earnest

Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is one of the funniest and most popular plays ever written. Brimming with wit and wisdom, Wilde’s brilliant play is the tale of two young men in late 1890s England who bend the truth to add a dash of excitement to their lives, and the hilarious misadventures and romantic entanglements that ensue. Prim-and-proper Jack Worthington is in love with the equally prim-and-proper Gwendolyn Fairfax. His friend, Algernon Moncrieff is in love with Cecily Cardew. But both Gwendolyn and Cecily are in love with Ernest, and the men must prove themselves as “Earnest” to win their lady loves. Add the magnificently imposing Lady Bracknell, a nanny with a dubious story about a handbag, and the result is a delightful entertainment as fresh and funny as when it was first performed in 1895.

Sir Peter Hall directs a cast that includes Lynn Redgrave as Lady Bracknell.