Alistair Whatley and Tom Neill revive Michael MacLiammoir's winning script at London's artsdepot.
Heads up Oscar Wilde fans, the artsdepot have a special treat in store.
Based on the life and works of the flamboyant writer, The Importance of Being Oscar by Irish actor Michael Mac Liammoir, will be revived this month in London. Fifty years after it took the theatre world by storm when it was first performed in Dublin in 1960.
Director Tom Neill and performer Alistair Whatley have given a fresh tweak to this global hit but are keeping it just as unique and entertaining. The one man show, originally performed by Mac Liammoir, celebrates the intelligence and wit of the literary genius that was Oscar Wilde. Through dramatisation of some of his best works interspersed with witty commentary on his private and public personas, the show exudes the energy, intelligence and humour of Wilde himself.
When the script was first published in 1963, critics celebrated its warmth and breadth of material. The Irish Times called it "every bit as Wildeanly witty as Oscar at his best". The Irish Press called it "an outstandingly skilful and memorable tribute from one Irish artist to another".
What comes with The Importance of Being Oscar is an ode to Wilde's literary range and the variety of his life's work. Excerpts from an assortment of his works the from Dorian Gray, a picture of sheer gluttony, to The Ballad of Reading Gaol, a depiction of the harshest of prison life, are brought to the stage once more. Alongside the drama of his works we get to see Wilde the journalist, poet, comedian, playwright and master of language.
What we’re looking forward to from Whatley is Wilde's ponderous side, his warmth as well as his sharp, cutting wit and everything from the high drama and comedy to the scandal and humiliation of his notorious life.
Having toured much of the UK, The Importance Of Being Oscar now comes to London’s artsdepot on May 27th.
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