importance earnest importance earnest trivial comedy people play performed february james theatre london comedy protagonists maintain fictitious escape social obligations working social conventions late victorian london play major themes treats institutions marriage resulting satire victorian ways contemporary reviews praised play humour cautious explicit lack social messages modern consensus culmination artistic career far high witty dialogue helped importance earnest popular play successful opening night marked climax career heralded downfall son lord lover planned present writer rotten vegetables disrupt tipped refused admission soon feud came climax court homosexual double life revealed victorian public eventually sentenced imprisonment notoriety caused play despite early success closed performances release published play exile paris wrote comic dramatic work revived times premiere adapted cinema occasions importance earnest reprised celebrated interpretation importance earnest black cast incorporated original material cut preparation original stage production composition success plays fan woman importance producers urged write plays july idea importance earnest george alexander actor manager spent summer family wrote play quickly august fame peak working title avoid pre speculation content names ideas play borrowed people places author known lord mother example lived widespread agreement scholars important influence play engaged borrowed gilbert incidents phrase gravity tone demanded gilbert actors continually revised text months line left untouched play economical language effects revisions consequences describes revisions refined art work earliest longest drafts play labour incidents broad nonsense dialogue conventional comic turns transformed standard nonsense earnest dialogue argues reached artistic maturity wrote work surely rapidly submitting script alexander worrying unsuitable typical repertoire relatively explaining written response request play real interest failed alexander turned agreed play alexander began usual meticulous preparations author line planning stage movements toy theatre course rehearsals alexander asked play acts agreed combined elements second acts largest cut removal character solicitor comes london arrest jack unpaid dining bills posing led away accounts immediately jack finally agrees pay thinking bill fact act version played radio bbc production performed argues act structure effective shorter original text theatrically expanded published edition productions premiere play produced james theatre valentine day freezing cold arrived dressed wearing green audience according report included members great good cabinet ministers actors writers academics enthusiasts played recalled pearson years acting remember greater triumph night stylish alexander played cast miss father lover lord holiday time planned disrupt play throwing rotten vegetables playwright took bow end alexander learned plan cancelled ticket arranged policemen bar entrance continued eventually launched private prosecution peer criminal libel triggering series trials ending imprisonment gross alexander tried unsuccessfully save production removing billing play close performances play original broadway production opened empire theatre april closed sixteen performances cast included jack australian premiere melbourne august presented play immediate success downfall england affect popularity plays australia critical reception contrast theatre time importance earnest light plot tackle social political issues contemporary reviewers wary unsure seriousness recognised play humour popularity audiences example reviewed play saturday review arguing comedy touch theatre moved laughter later letter said play extremely funny world wrote enjoyed watching play found meaning poor critic play raises principle art morals creates conventions absolutely expression witty personality speaker admired play culmination dramatic career denied term lacking seriousness said nonsense compact better nonsense think stage seen unsigned review mall gazette called earnest comedies year saying humorous dealing theatrical conventions difficult imagine questioned people fully message people trivial comedy intended learning remains seen doubt seriously play light hearted reviewers compared comic opera drama later called pure verbal opera times commented story music sights despite thinking play extremely funny ferocious hero character importance earnest popular work continually revived called play finest undeniably saying comedies fan woman importance ideal husband plot following manner unrelated theme work earnest story dissolved form play death remained discussed let performed work britain alexander revived importance small theatre outside west end year presented piece tour playing cast including young play returned west end alexander presented revival james broadway mounted production running weeks collected edition works published edited helped restore reputation author alexander presented revival importance james reprised original roles revival ran performances said play sure classic english humour fresh written adding actors worn play revival theatre young actors succeeded creators jack jack headed cast production decades 20th century treated present current year 1920s case 1890s costumes established critic thirty years begins feel costume period wit today needs backing atmosphere gave life truth complex verbal ill short skirt sir production lyric played jack lady aunt produced starred production globe theatre cast included miss times considered production best original praised fidelity conception responsive ball playing quality later year presented work gwen davies evans previous roles production presented seasons second world war main players season king queen attended performance journalist gave play final production toured north_america successfully staged broadway work came read performed importance earnest received productions time centenary journalist described second known quoted play english hamlet sir production cast included jack miss production starring occasional references supposed gay dublin produced play male cast featured character play opens drinking café dreaming play staged production december produced broadway revival based shakespeare festival production featuring director opened january ran july cast included miss paul brien lane jack nominated tony awards play presented internationally singapore october company brought london april synopsis play set present act flat play opens idle young gentleman receiving best friend knows come country propose cousin refuses consent explains cigarette case bears inscription little love dear forced admit living double life country assumes attitude benefit young ward goes john nickname jack pretending worry younger brother named london city assumes identity confesses similar deception pretends invalid friend named country visit wishes avoid social obligation jack refuses tell location country estate formidable mother room jack proposes accepts love largely professed jack accordingly resolves discovering intimate exchange interviews jack prospective horrified learn adopted discovered baby victoria station refuses contact daughter manages promise love jack gives address country notes sleeve jack revelation pretty wealthy young ward motivated friend meet act garden manor house studying miss arrives pretending soon long fascinated hitherto absent black sheep brother fall role like apparently particularly fond plans rector jack decided abandon double life arrives mourning announces brother death paris severe story undermined presence guise enters having run away home temporary absence men meets woman declaring engaged jack exposed act iii morning room pursuit daughter told engaged revelation trust fund soon initial doubts young lady engagement forbidden guardian jack consent agrees union declines broken return miss recognises person years earlier family taken baby boy walk baby carriage returned challenged miss explains manuscript novel writing baby left victoria station jack produces showing lost baby elder son late sister elder brother having acquired respectable relations acceptable insists love man named fiancé real informs jack born named father general jack examines army lists discovers father real fact reality happy couples embrace jack miss complains newfound relative nephew displaying signs contrary replies realised time life vital importance earnest themes described importance trivial society plays produces peculiar spirit recognise beautiful wrote precisely consistently trivial ugly says touched themes building 1880s aesthetic poses established takes starting point protagonists ideal husband picture gray wrongdoing vice earnest represented told play theme treat trivial things life seriously things life sincere studied theme hinted play ironic title repeatedly alluded dialogue says act amusement life goes jack blackmail corruption haunted double lives sir ideal husband earnest protagonists double life jack undertaken innocent purposes largely avoid social obligations theatre time tackled social political issues earnest refuses play game period instance characters draw audiences ideals satire society play repeatedly victorian traditions social customs marriage pursuit love particular victorian times considered riding societal value originating religious attempts reform lower classes spread upper ones century play title mocking people trivial comedies introduces theme continues drawing room discussion yes hate people meals shallow says act allusions quick multiple angles managed engage mock genre providing social commentary offering reform men follow traditional rites admit weaknesses prospective excuse ridiculous built absurd confusion book baby jack marriage proposal wicked jack terrible thing man find suddenly life speaking truth forgive feel sure change turn ideal marrying man named popular respected time unlike mother analysis husband places entire faith christian declaring act safe opinion shared act pity poor married woman husband called declare find men real names embodied society rules rituals minute attention details style created comic effect assertion restraint contrast knowledge social london street names jack obscure subtly evoked defends brighton line time victoria station consisted separate adjacent terminal stations sharing east west market went fashionable expensive town gentleman found baby jack travelling time jack named suggested homosexual argued play themes bound homosexuality play exhibits presence absence homosexual desire reading play release prison said extraordinary reading play toy tiger life scholar absolute necessity period need public mask factor contributing satire social disguise use earnest homosexual joke years wrote play published book poetry love earnest boys names included verse frank ring like silver bell cecil softer music claim work miracle sets heart flame word earnest code word homosexual earnest way musical employed sir actor met play original cast lord wrote times dispute suggestions earnest held sexual ample opportunity time hint earnest synonym homosexual implied homosexual sex time heard mentioned 1980s immediately consulted sir performance play legendary knowledge theatrical lore replied ringing tones nonsense absolute nonsense known number theories forward explain play imply secretive double life derived acquaintance youth suggestion forward knew combination word taken train met arranged second secret meeting dramatic analysis use language long famous dialogue use language argues achieved unity mastery earnest plays earlier comedies suffer resulting thematic clash trivial earnest pitch perfect style allows dissolve different registers play jack established early exchange underlying unity despite differing attitudes formidable startling use opinions contrast speech miss distinguished diversion furthermore play described unrelated action character found half dozen highest order line called english drama lending interpretations ranging stage film delivered line loudly mixture horror dublin line critic words barely rapidly sharp intake breath understated sure known play packed life little things difference characterisation deployed characters familiar lord woman past young lady treatment earlier comedies instance embodies respectable upper class society notes development familiar disturbing character traced revisions play young men presents stereotypical stage intelligent beings jackson puts speak like creator formed complete sentences rarely use slang vogue words miss characterised light touches detail old fashioned canon text structure genre argues freed abandoning melodrama basic structure earlier social comedies basing story entirely earnest verbal freed living drama conversation fuller extent little business hand genre deeply debated scholars critics alike placed play wide variety genres ranging parody satire critique foster argues play creates world real values inverted reason similarly use dialogue upper classes lending play satirical tone use humour mock upper classes merits play satire drama publication edition final comedies ideal husband importance earnest stage london time prosecution soon closed details case public years prison hard labour went exile paris sick depressed reputation destroyed england agreed publish final plays proved sending detailed instructions stage directions character listings presentation book insisting performance reproduced inside argues man command play appear cover author fan return work brief refused write write lost joy writing october edition number discovered inside shop staff unable trace donor sold translation importance earnest popularity meant translated languages pun title masculine proper earnest virtue seriousness poses special problem easiest case suitable translation pun sense meaning translation german english german closely related languages german provides equivalent matching masculine proper meaning tenor exactly different possible titles german concerning sentence structure common ones study italian translations found thirteen different versions titles unique language question faced choice staying faithful original case english virtue earnest creating similar pun language main strategies leaves characters names unchanged original spelling respected readers reminded original cultural setting pun lost varied source oriented approach english christian names earnest preserving pun english character play possibly italian reader group replaced represents virtue target language favouring transparency readers translation fidelity original instance italian versions variously play franco given names respectively values honesty loyalty french offers closer pun constant quality play commonly known importance constant translated play title est important means beloved differ attitude original english titles change leave mix partially compensation added loss lastly translation gave touch rendering work mixed proper languages adaptations film apart multiple television versions importance earnest adapted english language cinema times adapted screenplay directed jack miss cast directed version black cast jack miss doctor set united_states english director previously adapted ideal husband film stars jack connor miss parker adaptation includes solicitor pursues jack present original draft cut behest play producer pursued group creditors opening scene operas musicals love staged broadway japanese female musical theatre troupe staged musical productions composed opera play text composed musical based play premiered theater berlin according study adaptations play musical conspicuous success earliest version american entitled earnest journalist comments musical adaptation half earnest deposited scarcely encouraging curtain rises away piano singing play lane songs include created opera importance earnest commissioned london premiered los_angeles stage premiere given national nancy france radio television radio versions play bbc broadcast adaptation pearson broadcasts play followed broadcast act version play jack miss production later released commemorate centenary performance play broadcast new adaptation february directed featured lane miss production later issued audio cassette december broadcast new adaptation directed starring miss emma fielding music composed production released audio cassette commercial television adaptation starred bbc television play included play month version starring directed adaptation cast including adapted australian commercial recordings performance preserved emi audio recording dating captures cast includes miss audio recordings include theatre version directed narrated cast including version featuring issued featuring
The Importance of Being Earnest