THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST AND OTHER PLAYS

First performed in 1895, The Importance of Being Earnest is a play in three acts full of mix-ups, unexpected plot twists, mistaken identities and extraordinary quickfire wit. Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax both fall in love with a man called Ernest who doesn't exist. That's because he's the invention of Jack Worthing, who needed a black-sheep of a brother to blame his bad behaviour on. Things become complicated when Jack falls in love with Gwendolen, his friend Algernon falls for Cecily and nobody knows who anybody else is any more as the plot heads for disaster. This is Wilde's most popular play and its unforgettable characters, including the redoubtable Lady Bracknell, still cut the mustard today as Wilde's wit and wordplay raise low English farce to brilliant heights.