The Importance of Being Oscar ★★★ Jermyn Street Theatre | Mar 28 - Apr 19, 2025


This revival of The Importance of Being Oscar is a tribute not only to Oscar Wilde, but also to Micheál Mac Liammóir who first performed the show in 1960. Just as Wilde's persona, literary output and personal life challenged his society, Mac Liammóir's reincarnation of the great writer and his recounting of Wilde's trial 30 years before same sex relations were decriminalised in Ireland was almost as revolutionary. The times have changed, however, and the shock value in both performances is gone, while the reality of Wilde's genius and the injustice of his treatment still resonate. However, this pastiche of Wilde's words and skimming of his biography by Alastair Whatley seems a little flat. The familiar lines are still amusing, and the scene from The Importance of Being Earnest when Lady Bracknell quizzes the hapless Jack Worthing still draws chuckles, but the recounting of the life seems lacking. While we can't expect the detail of Richard Ellmann's extraordinary biography, the glossing over of the lawsuits and trials seems a shame as it removes any complexity or nuance from Wilde's decisions to pursue the libel suit and to remain in England for his trials. The recitations from De Profundis and The Ballad of Reading Gaol are well done, and provide Wilde's perspective on his affairs, but a more intense examination of his motivations and behaviours might have given us more insight into this complex man and made for a more interesting play. The fact that almost everything is either presented from the author's point of view, or is simply a chronicling of the circumstances, doesn't really illuminate the subject and leaves a lot of the drama of Wilde's life unexplained. While Whatley's personification might be somewhat less precious and provocative than its prototype, his performance is a worthy homage to both Mac Liammóir and to Wilde. Nevertheless, the real play about the fall from grace of the artist who defined his time is yet to be written.

Rated: ★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Marc Brenner

When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: 16B Jermyn St, London SW1Y 6ST, UK

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