Park Theatre, London – until 22nd August 2026
Reviewed by Celia Armand Smith
4****
Written in 1960 by Micheál Mac Liammóir, The Importance of Being Oscar is a thoughtful and affectionate tribute to Oscar Wilde and his work. Performed by Alastair Whatley, the one man play blends biography, performance, and works by Wilde, charting his rise to aesthete and playwright, his devastating fall and the enduring legacy that followed his tragic death. An extraordinary life told in an engaging way through extracts of his poetry and letters, and reflections from those close to him.
As Oscar Wilde and a colourful assortment of characters, Alastair Whatley delivers a compelling and accomplished performance. He sparkles with a lightfootedness as he performs scenes from The Importance of Being Earnest, The Picture of Dorian Gray and Wilde’s early poetry. The second half of the play is much darker as we relive his trial and imprisonment, and he heartbreak he suffered. Whatley’s reading of the poems De Profundis and The Ballad of Reading Gaol are heavy with emotion and his eyes glisten in the spotlight. Michael Fentiman’s direction keeps the production simple and uncluttered yet pacy, allowing Wilde’s words (and the words of his nearest and dearest) to take centre stage.
Madeleine Girling and Ben Jacob’s stage and LX design are simple and elegant, and work together to put the person Wilde in the spotlight rather than the dramatist, dandy, and wit that he was so often caricatured as.
At nearly 2 hours long with an interval, The Importance of Being Oscar never quite escapes the feeling of being an enjoyable illustrated lecture but maybe that is what Micheál Mac Liammóir intended when he wrote it – to engage an audience with the man rather than the myth. It is an intelligent and respectful celebration of Oscar Wilde and will surely delight everyone from Wilde enthusiasts to those who can just about reference “a handbaaaaaag”.