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By Micheal Mac Liammoir. Presented by The Original Theatre Company.

For generations, Oscar Wilde has been the subject of much interest. Now, in this major revival, audiences will enjoy a celebration of his distinguished life.

Written and performed in 1960 by honorary Irish theatrical polymath Micheál Mac Liammoir, The Importance of Being Oscar toured the world to critical exultation and popular adulation. Fifty years on, the show is as captivating and magical as ever.

Staged as a single-hander, and directed by Tom Neill, The Importance of Being Oscar is a tribute to the first modern man; a theatrical luminary and flamboyant socialite, as his private and public lives are creatively juxtaposed with extracts from his poems, letters, plays and novels including, amongst others ‘An Ideal Husband’, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ and ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’.

Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde’s was born in 1854 into an Anglo-Irish family in Dublin, and his rich and dramatic portrayals of the human condition were the glory of the Victorian era. Regarded as one of the nation’s greatest playwrights and famous for his superbly sharp wit, Wilde wrote and produced nine plays during his lifetime, and one novel: ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’. His works continue to be widely performed today especially, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’.

Originally commissioned in 2009 to celebrate South Hill Park Arts Centre’s 25th anniversary, The Importance of Being Oscar has been freshly re-directed and designed for touring by nationally renowned Original Theatre Company.

Performing throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland from May - July 2010, this wonderful production plays at Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Co. Kildare on Friday 4th June, 8pm. For further information or booking enquiries see www.riverbank.ie or call Riverbank box office on 045 448327.

‘An explosion of incomparable richness, boldness, passion and beauty’
DAILY EXPRESS
 
‘Understanding, critical insight and remarkably moving, dramatic forcefulness’
NEW YORK POST
 
‘Whatley is handsome, believable and rousing’
REMOTE GOAT ON ALASTAIR WHATLEY IN ‘HENRY V’
 
‘The play burst with spectacle ... completely enchanting and special’
WINDSOR EXPRESS ON TOM NEILL’S DIRECTION OF ‘THE TEMPEST’
 
 

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