This week London Classic Theatre has brought us The Importance of Being Earnest. On until Saturday this is a tale of mistaken identity set in 1890s London. A comedy of manners, full of mayhem and lots of fun. It is one of Oscar Wilde’s most famous plays and the final one he wrote. Light in tone this is considered Wilde’s masterpiece and remains his most popular play.
Oscar Wilde is one of the most famous English writers (even though he was born in Ireland) with works including Lady Windermere’s Fan, An Ideal Husband and The Picture of Dorian Grey – the last of which propelled him into the limelight.
Wilde also became famous for being prosecuted and imprisoned for being a homosexual – something that was a crime in Victorian England and was illegal up until 1967. Wilde was outed by The Marquess of Queensberry – the father of Wilde’s lover.
While this scandal of story dominated Wilde’s personal life his contribution to the English literary cannon is really important. His plays get performed regularly around the country – here alone his work has been performed many times over the years. Much of his writing has been transferred to the big screen, in fact there was a film made of his life staring Stephen Fry as the playwright.
Wilde’s work is sometimes viewed as light weight and I won’t argue that his unique way of bringing characters to life with zippy dialogue, witty observations and comic timing makes his work timeless. But his writing is so much more than that. The social satire is totally on point, commenting on the society of his day (the very society he wanted to belong to). His subtle reflection of the trappings of the upper classes is brilliant and something that makes him one of the best writers of the 19th Century.
See you in the theatre,
Kevin Shaw
Artistic Director
No comments:
Post a Comment