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The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.





The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.

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When asked what one could expect from “The Importance of Being Earnest”, Mr. Oscar Wilde said, “It is exquisitely trivial, a delicate bubble of fancy, and it hasits philosophy… that we treat all the trivial things of life seriously, and allthe serious things of life with sincere and studied triviality.” 

Indeed,his play is peopled with desperately trivial characters, manipulating andcoping with a stifling, hollow system of rules to maintain their classdistinction and privileges.  At least two of them invent alter egos to escape this hell and to pursue their dreams of love and romance.  Through parody, irony and verbal paradox, Mr. Wilde adroitly strips off what Cecily calls “the shallow mask of manner” to reveal the hypocrisy and prejudice that prevailed in a society obsessed with appearance and propriety – one that was divided by class, money, gender and generation.

People have asked me how a play written in 1895 can still be relevant to us in Singapore today – and my answer is that Mr. Wilde seems to have written it expressly for us.  It strikes me that many of us here in Singapore lead very ‘Earnest’ lives.  We are so proper, dutiful, diligent, restained, complacent and self-righteous in everything we do.  There might be fewer corsets and starched shirts these days, but there are no fewer social restrictions and pressures.

It has been a great pleasure and privilege to revisit this production.  Under our director Glen Goei’s inspired masterstroke of casting a superb acting company of men in suits, we have found it particularly meaningful to revisit Mr. Wilde’s play in the context of his creed of individualism and tolerance. Ultimately, the play is a celebration of being true to oneself – happiness, he seems to suggest, is attainable only if we can accept everyone for who they really are.

It’s perhaps one of life’s greatest ironies that Mr. Wilde, the great, grand vanguard of words and wisdom, suffered so greatly for being himself. In May1895, he was convicted on the charge of gross indecency and sentenced to twoyears’ hard labour in prison.  The laws that incarcerated him were repealed in England in 1967, but remain in force in Singapore as Section 377A of the PenalCode.

In this context, we would like to invite you to join us for two very special staged readings of Moisés Kaufman’s “Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde”, which presents an urgent, powerful and thought-provoking examination of a law that continues to discriminate against and dehumanise a significant portion of our community. The readings directed by Glen and featuring ouraward-winning Earnest cast, will take place on 21 and 28 April 2013, the two Sunday evenings of the show’s run.

Personally, I believe our society would be a far better place to live in if we all could be a little less judgmental.  To borrow from Mr. Wilde, we could be happier indeed if we treated all the trivial things of life (like having high tea with your friends) seriously, and all the serious things of life (like watching property prices skyrocket) with sincere and studied triviality.
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