Episode 090: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Host: Douglas Schatz Guest: Max Webster

Welcome to The Play Podcast where we explore the greatest new and classic plays. Each episode we choose a single play to talk about in depth with our expert guest. We'll discuss the play's origins, its themes, characters, structure and impact. For us the play is the thing.

Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is arguably the most famous romantic comedy in theatrical history. The play is renowned for its effervescent portrait of aristocratic romance, and its impossibly clever wit, including some of the most quotable lines in dramatic literature. But it is also an anarchic parody of social custom and pretension – a serious statement of aesthetic principles and coded sexual politics.

As we record this episode, a joyous new production of the play is running at the National Theatre in London, and I am delighted to talk about Wilde's classic with its acclaimed director, Max Webster.