Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest—A Trivial Comedy for Serious People, opened in the St. James’s Theatre, London, on St. Valentine’s Day, 1895. Wilde managed to thwart a plan by The Marquess of Queensbury, the father of Wilde’s lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, to disrupt the opening by throwing a bouquet of spoiled vegetables at the playwright. Yet continuing controversy caused the play to close after only 86 performances.

The play opened on Broadway a few months later, on April 22, closing after only 12 performances. It would be years before the play was staged again and many more years before audiences began to appreciate the brilliance of Wilde’s play.

Funny then, that the Roundabout Theater’s revival seems so fresh and relevant and that its run has not been cut short but extended until July 3. Directed by and staring Brian Bedford as Lady Bracknell, this production is not to be missed. Wilde’s rapier sharp wit has found a very talented cast. There will be cast changes after the March 20 performance—Jayne Houdyshell will replace Judith Ivey as Miss Prism, Brian Murray will replace Paxton Whitehead as Rev. Canon Chasuble, and Jessie Austrian will replace Sara Topham as Gwendolen Fairfax. Bedford, however, the anchor of the cast, will remain and that is very good news indeed.

There is a tradition of male actors playing Lady Bracknell, but Bedford manages to portray the character without any vamping or drag queen-like behavior. His Lady Bracknell is an imposing figure who dominates the room when she enters. From her dress (kudos to set and costume designer Desmond Heeley) we understand that appearances are all important to this dowager. She cares about upholding standards, but can bend when the happiness of those closest to her comes into play.

Lady Bracknell gets all the good lines and Bedford delivers them with perfect timing. Entering the home of her nephew, Algernon, she asks: “I hope you are behaving very well.” His response: “I’m feeling very well, Aunt Augusta,” earns him the comeback: “That’s not quite the same thing. In fact, the two things rarely go together.” Even when her retort is limited to one word (the most famous being “Handbag?”) Bedford neither under nor overplays the effect.

The play’s plot elements include some of the tried and true—mistaken identities, generational conflicts, social clashes, play on words—but Wilde’s dialogue and characterizations never seem tired or trite. In fact, one can almost imagine an updated version set in another upscale locale still being relevant and just as amusing.

Wilde’s plays stands in stark contrast to the special effects-laden Spider-Man–Turn Off the Dark, the most expensive production ever mounted on Broadway. What Earnest proves is that a good script, clever plot, imaginative staging, and brilliant acting is all that’s needed to score a hit. Don’t miss it.

The Importance of Being Earnest
By Oscar Wilde
Directed by Brian Bedford
The Roundabout Theater
American Airlines Theater
227 West 42nd Street
212-719-1300
www.roundabouttheatre.org