Importance of Being Ernest at the Market Theatre

Everybody loves Ernest. In fact, Cecily and Gwendolen are both engaged to Ernest.

The only trouble is, he doesn’t exist. Or does he...?

Best friends Jack and Algy have both created alter-egos to win the affections of their beloveds; but when will they stop being Ernest and start being, well, earnest?

Wilde’s comic masterpiece gets The Pantaloons treatment in their anarchic take on the classic comedy of manners.

This energetic and musical production from this critically-acclaimed company infuses Wilde’s witty words with snappy new songs and frantically funny physical theatre to give this perennially popular play an hilarious contemporary twist.

The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde.

First performed on February 14 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae to escape burdensome social obligations.

Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage and the resulting satire of Victorian conformity. Some contemporary reviews praised the play's humour as the culmination of Wilde's artistic career, while others were cautious about its lack of social messages. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest a very popular play.

The Importance of Being Ernest plays at the Market Theatre on Saturday May 18.