Oscar Wilde’s life has all the ingredients of compelling theatre: dazzling witt meteoric success, public disgrace, and heartbreaking decline. Micheál Mac Liammóir’s The Importance of Being Oscar, first performed in 1960, remains an affectionate tribute to both the man and his words, blending biography with extracthis plays, letters and essays. This revival, directed by Michael Fentiman and starring Alastair Whatley, is clearly crafted with admiration but at two hours including an interval, some judicious pruning and a reduction to ninety minutes straight through would have made for a more engrossing piece of theatre.

The production begins promisingly enough. Alastair Whatley has an easy, engaging presence and captures Wilde’s conversational sparkle without descending into caricature. He moves confidently between narrator, Wilde himself, and the many voices that populate the story, handling the shifts with admirable clarity. It is an accomplished performance that never feels less than committed.

The problem lies less with the actor than with the material. Mac Liammóir’s script is undeniably steeped in affection for Wilde, but it often feels more like an extended literary recital than a fully satisfying piece of theatre. Passages from The Importance of Being Earnest, De Profundis, and other works sit alongside biographical episodes, yet the transitions can feel episodic rather than dramatically cumulative. Instead of gathering emotional momentum, the evening repeatedly pauses to admire Wilde’s prose and poetry before moving on to the next chapter of his life.

Ben Jacobs’ lighting and Barnaby Race’s sound design add subtle layers to the fairly static production but there is only so much invention that can be brought to a format that essentially consists of one man delivering speeches for long stretches. That’s a pity because Wilde’s tragic downfall still carries considerable emotional weight. His imprisonment, public humiliation, and exile remain deeply affecting, and Whatley conveys the pain beneath the celebrated epigrams with genuine sensitivity. These later sections are the production’s strongest, allowing the humanity behind the public persona to emerge. However, as the evening progresses, the pacing begins to sag and attention inevitably wanders.

Ultimately, The Importance of being Oscar is respectful, intelligent, and lovingly performed, but it never catches fire theatrically. Admirers of Wilde’s writing will relish hearing so much of his work brought vividly to life, while those seeking a more dynamic dramatic experience (like me) may find themselves wishing the play had been as bold as its subject. There is something to admire here, but not quite enough to make the evening consistently compelling – in truth, it’s all a bit dull – something Wilde himself could never be accused of.

Three Stars.

Reviewed by Alan Fitter.

https://parktheatre.co.uk/events/the-importance-of-being-oscar/