The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People

"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train." Jack Worthing is an important and respected person in Hertfordshire. Being a guardian to a young girl and an employer of many in the community, the list of his responsibilities is never-ending. His brother, Earnest, however, leads a scandalous life and Jack is often forced to leave for London to sort it out. What no one knows is that Earnest is not real, but Jack's alibi, his way of creating havoc and blowing off some steam in the big city. The Importance of Being Earnest is Oscar Wilde's most popular and enduring play. Poking fun at the ridiculousness of human nature, especially that of the Victorian elite, it is both incredibly clever and undeniably silly. It has been performed and made into films and for television many times, most recently in the 2002 film starring Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon and Judi Dench.