This year is the season of Oscar Wilde at the Vaudeville Theatre, showing off his plays and celebrating his work that revolutionised and shocked Victorian society with his views. Dominic Dromgoole - former Shakespeare’s Globe artistic director, and West End theatre owner and producer Nica Burns with their new company, Classic Spring, are putting the productions together. The season will be a quartet of some of Wilde’s most famous plays: A Woman of No Importance, Lady Windermere’s Fan, An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest.
The first play of the season has begun with ‘A Woman of No Importance’ starring Olivier Award-winner Eve Best, at the Vaudeville Theatre, ending on the 30th of December. I have recently been to see this production, encouraged by my English teacher and enjoyed it immensely. The cast and acting was outstanding and the intimate warm atmosphere of this theatre welcoming. The play captures the apparent social niceties of the end of the 19th century as the audience sees an aristocratic house party become the scene for revelations about the past relationships between several guests. It is humorous with many memorable lines – “One should never trust a woman who tells one her real age. A woman who would tell one that would tell one anything”.
Students at the Ursuline are studying the play ‘An Ideal Husband’ and the work of Wilde as part of their A Level English Literature and are hoping to get tickets to see ‘An Ideal Husband’ in the summer to enhance their learning on the play. Amy, a student studying Wilde went to see ‘A Woman of No Importance’ to enrich her learning on Wilde’s other plays saying, “I thought that the play was really good with many connections to ‘An Ideal Husband’. It was very useful in developing my contextual and wider understanding for that side of the course”.
The humorous and clever lines of Wilde brought many laughs throughout the audience; his work is easily enjoyed by all and not to be missed. This year brings many opportunities to celebrate the life of Oscar Wilde and how he influenced Victorian society. For more information on productions, tickets and times, see: http://www.classicspring.co.uk/
