The Importance of Being Earnest

Wilde’s most celebrated comedy returns

In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest (A Trivial Comedy for Serious People)—Jack and Algy fabricate delicious double lives to escape the straitjacket of social norms and to find the lovers they desire.

This is Wilde’s most celebrated comedy, but in the hands of these two comedic daredevils—David Woods and Jon Haynes—the hilarity hits break-neck speed as they gleefully act out every role, tumbling chaotically through impossible character changes. Yet between the absurd and masterful theatrics, the beating heart of Wilde’s humanity exposes itself.

In 2006, when Woods and Haynes first brought this production to Melbourne, Malthouse Theatre audiences fell out of their seats in laughter. Now, the Ridiculusmus team triumphantly returns to double down on the hilarious dishonesty.