The Importance Of Being Earnest

Though the play was written over a century ago, Singapore's W!LD RICE theatre company shows just how relevant Oscar Wilde's farcical classic remains today, tackling societal expectation across class, marriage and gender with an extra large dose of flamboyance in their all-male production.

The similarities between social pressures in modern-day Singapore and Wilde's Victorian era are cleverly highlighted in the tale of two wealthy men who create fictional lives to escape the boredom of conventional society. Wonderfully transferable one-liners initially meant to mock the upper-class characters now appear just as relevant to the modern obsession with self, as Chua Enlai's Gwendolen Fairfax often underlines: "I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train."

Accompanied at intervals by a Queensland Conservatorium string quartet, Julian Sharp's Bach cello solo is a particularly breathtaking highlight, as is the sharp cast suiting by Singaporean designer Frederick Lee. A bold, monochrome set design by artistic director Ivan Heng, who also appears as the imposing Lady Bracknell, bolsters the pacy dialogue. It's a vibrant, often surprising and energetic take on an enduring classic.