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The Importance of Being Earnest

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The Importance of Being Earnest

By: Oscar Wilde
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About this listen

A new version of this timeless classic starring Stephen Fry as Lady Bracknell.

Jack Worthing (Gwilym Lee) and Algernon Montcrieff (Tom Glynn Carney) have taken to bending the truth in order to put some excitement into their lives. Jack has invented a brother, Earnest, whom he uses as an excuse to leave his dull life behind to visit Gwendolyn (Lyndsey Marshall).

Montcrieff decides to take the name Earnest when visiting Worthing's young and beautiful ward, Cecily (Daisy Edgar Jones). Things start to go awry when they end up together in the country and the truth starts to unravel.

Performed by: Jonathan Coy, Janie Dee, Daisy Edgar Jones, Stephen Fry, Tom Glynn Carney, Paterson Joseph, Gwilym Lee, Lyndsey Marshall

©2021 Audible, Ltd (P)2021 Audible, Ltd Classics
Episodes
  • Ep. 1: The Importance of Being Earnest

    Ep. 1: The Importance of Being Earnest
    May 24 2021

    A new version of this timeless classic starring Stephen Fry.

    Jack Worthing and Algernon Montcrieff have taken to bending the truth in order to put some excitement into their lives. Jack has invented a brother, Earnest, whom he uses as an excuse to leave his dull life behind to visit Gwendolyn.

    Montcrieff decides to take the name Earnest when visiting Worthing's young and beautiful ward, Cecily. Things start to go awry when they end up together in the country and the truth starts to unravel.
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    1 hr and 56 mins
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I've never read the importance of being Ernest so had no idea what to expect. I found this well written, witty and generally pretty enjoyable. The music finished it off for me 👍

Loved it

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Amazing performances, truly remarkable, complemented by a wonderful, witty, and humorous story! I enjoyed the accents and tones of the voices. Stephen Fry never disappoints me!

Brilliant!

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A pure joy, and very well produced and acted. The only jarring element is the jazz music. The Importance of Being Earnest is a play of the 1890s or it is nothing. Ragtime, perhaps but not interwar Swing! Anyway, a minor irritant only. The play itself is a constant marvel, and remains one of the funniest things ever written.

A great way of experiencing the play

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This is one of my all-time favourite stories and the performances here are just perfection.

Perfect

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Enjoyed listening to this production very much. Took me back to younger days. Loved it

Great production

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I enjoyed this podcast and found myself laughing over the tangled webs that were being spun, infectious, loved that the tables were turned on the guys by their pupil, narration was hilarious

A very entertaining podcast, funny, quite quirky

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Enjoyable classic farce which always amuses, no matter how many times you've seen/heard it. Brilliantly executed, except for the 'music', which was strangely intrusive and inappropriate.

Great fun

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Absolutely hilarious and incredibly witty, Oscar Wilde takes on all elements of 19th Century society, comedic plays and any other institution that crosses his path.

Incredibly tightly plotted and full of double meanings, mistaken identities and all manner of comedy tropes.

It's a bit weird that this is billed as "Starring Stephen Fry" when he plays Lady Bracknell who typically receives a lower billing than Jack, Algernon, Gwendolin and sometimes Cecilia.

One of my favourite plays

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Magnificent performance of Wilde's brilliant, clever and most excellent play. I very much enjoyed it and believe I will return to listen to it again many times.

Fantastic!

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I don't believe I can ever go wrong listening to this hilarious play. This is not my favourite cast but it's really good! One to listen again and again.

This classic never fails

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