The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays

This is one of my all-time FAVOURITES! 🙌🏼 I’ve read this about five times since I discovered it (about five years ago), and I love it more and more each time I read it. The film is good too, but not as good as the book 😉Initially I chose to read it because it was a classic, and because it was short 😂🤫 The reviews also said it was funny, but I couldn’t imagine a stuffy old play could be funny.I’ve since realised they can be (so can a couple of Shakespeare plays too, but gone are the days when I’ll read a Shakespeare play; I prefer to watch them), and this one is as far from stuffy as a classic can get. The comedy is on point! So funny. I actually got my dad and a couple of others to read this too and they also loved it.Worth a read (or a watch if reading it seems a bit too much for you - it’s an all-star cast!). You might just love it as much as I do

Short, sweet, beautifully written and full of punchlines that stick into the mind, Oscar Wilde's greatest work is a living example of quality, rather than quantity. 65-odd pages are all Wilde needs to ensnare and capture a reader into the upper class society of his day and all of their ludicrous mannerisms. There are hints of Wilde himself aplenty in Algernon and his dashing flamboyancy.The play follows a standard three act structure, and can be read casually easily in one sitting. I can imagine, and indeed would love to have the opportunity to perform what would be an exceptionally enjoyable play to rehearse.It is not overly long, it is not overly pretentious and the language is beautiful. It knocks some of Shakespeare's overblown works for six and then some. This should be standard order for every classroom in the country. Wilde is a great, and is simply not revered enough.The cheap Penguin edition is for my needs perfect. Clearly set out, nice handy size, good typeface and a brilliant £2 price tag. It's worth £2 of anyone's money. And I also like having the opportunity to have Wilde's plays in individual editions, rather than the bulky anthologies.Concrete 5 stars, please read it, you certainly won't regret it.

This Play never palls. Oscar Wilde's witty and amusing dialogue remains a perennial delight and it is a play which can be listened to over and over again with enjoyment.This particular recording features a strong cast, with Jeremy Clyde, Richard Pasco and Prunella Scales taking the main parts.It is also the first broadcast of the original four-act version of the play. The extra dialogue is not often met with in most modern productions.It is ideal for listening to while doing a long, boring job, (such as the ironing!). And I am sure it will give equal pleasure, whether the listener is already familiar with the play, or whether it comes as an entirely new experience.It remains a tragedy that the author of such a delicious light comedy should have met with such a disastrous fall from grace.

Yes, this is Oscar Wilde's deliciously camp, ferociously witty comedy of errors & incisive observations on the social mores of the day. This presentation of the 1977 radio play offers pristine sound, excellent production values, & has a star-studded British cast, headed by Maurice Denham & the marvellous National Treasure that is Prunella Scales. I placed it on the CD tray & lay back on the bed, box of chocolates & glass of wine resting on the bedside table, & enjoyed every second of its 140 minutes' playing time (over 2 CDs). It's amazing to realise that this play was first performed in 1895, & that this particular broadcast is now 33 years old as it still sounds as vibrant, fresh, funny, perceptive & relevant today. Excellent entertainment, & these CDs can be played over again as there is such a richness to the writing & this production. Highly recommended.

Alright, this is not the best production of this play ever, however it is amusing; Emily Bergl plays a delightful Cecily, and Sarah Zimmerman is a good Gwendolen, but Jill Gascoine is a joy as Miss Prism. Algernon and Jack are played with gusto by Matthew Wolf and James Marsters, but I think Charles Busch had the hardest job playing Lady Bracknell, as everyone thinks automatically of Dame Edith Evans in the part and makes it a hard act to follow. He did let us down a bit with the handbag speech, but other than that he was very good.The play jogs along briskly and is still very funny, although it would take a very bad cast to spoil Wilde's brilliant writing.So sit back and put your feet up and prepare to be entertained by this brilliant farce,one of my particular favorites from the pen of the brilliant Oscar Wilde you won't be disappointed the 2 hours just fly by.