This essay was prepared for the production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest at

People's Light & Theatre Company, Malvern, P, in !une, "##$% &arious parts of the essay were
used 'y the artistic staff and company, in program notes, in teachers' manuals, and in press
pac(ets%)
Wilde, Society, and Society Drama
Cary M. Mazer
On *e'ruary "+,,,-t% &alentine's .ay,,"/#0, London was cho(ed with a ma1or snow storm% 2ut
this could not prevent the opening night of The Importance of Being Earnest, at the -t% !ames's
Theatre, from 'eing a ma1or social event% This was in part due to the stunning popularity of Oscar
Wilde in the theatre3 The Importance of Being Earnest was Wilde's fourth popular West 4nd play
in only three years, and An Ideal Husband had only opened a month 'efore and was still playing
to pac(ed house at the 5aymar(et Theatre a few 'loc(s away% *ashiona'le London was out in
force, in their most elegant clothes% s a tri'ute to Wilde's dandified aestheticism, women wore
sprays of lilies as corsages6 and many young men wore lilies of the valley in the 'uttonholes of
lapels of their tailcoats% Wilde spent most of the performance 'ac(stage, 'ut he was nevertheless
dressed in what one 'iography called 7the depth of fashion73 7his coat had a 'lac( velvet collar6
he carried white gloves6 a green scara' ring adorned one of his fingers6 a large 'unch of seals on
a 'lac( moir ri''on watch chain hung from his white waistcoat6 and, li(e the young men in the
stalls, he wore lilies of the valley in his 'uttonhole%7
udiences came dressed in evening formal to opening nights then6 in fact, you had to wear
evening formal dress any night if you wanted to sit in the stalls 8what we call the orchestra9 or the
dress circle 8the first 'alcony9% nd this was true not only at the -t% !ames's Theatre 'ut
throughout 7Theatreland,7 the entertainment district in the West 4nd of metropolitan London% *or
theatregoing was more than an entertainment medium or an art form3 it was ma1or leisure activity
for people of all social classes, part of a networ( of ur'an activities that included private clu's,
restaurants, pu's, cafes, hotels, and casinos%
:n the "/#;s, there were over fifty theatres in greater London, most of the them in the West 4nd, a
half do<en alone along -haftes'ury venue, which had 'een completed in "//= as part of an
ur'an renewal plan off of Picadilly Circus% The theatres drew their patrons from the greater
metropolitan area, who came to the theatre 'y carriage, omni'us, streetcar, and underground
railway% 4ach theatre was e>clusively leased 'y a manager, often an 7ctor,Manager,7 who
esta'lished a reputation for his theatre 8the actor,managers were most often men9 through the
style of his acting, the physical splendor of the production, and the type of dramatic entertainment
offered%
Of the older and larger theatres, Covent ?arden had 'ecome the home of grand opera, and .rury
lane was famous for its spectacular autumn melodramas and ela'orate Christmas Pantomimes%
The most famous 7classical7 actor of the time, 5enry :rving, had managed the Lyceum Theatre
for over twenty years, producing a series of ma1or -ha(espeare revivals for himself and his stage
partner, 4llen Terry% 8When The Importance of Being Earnest opened, :rving and Terry could 'e
seen at the Lyceum in !% Comyns Carr's King Arthur, a top,of,the,line costume epic with armor
designed 'y the pre,@aphaelite artist -ir 4dward 2urne,!ones and incidental music 'y -ir rthur
-ullivan6 :rving would 1oin their ran(s when he received a (nighthood,,the first actor to 'e thus
honored,,later that year9% Aou could see melodrama at the delphi Theatre, operetta at the -avoy
8where the ?il'ert and -ullivan colla'orations had received their premieres9, and musical
comedies at the ?aiety 8An Artist's Model, one of a series of musicals with wor(ing,class
heroines, had 1ust opened there in *e'ruary, "/#09% &ariety entertainment of all sorts could 'e
seen in the Music 5alls, either in smo(e,filled taverns in wor(ing class neigh'orhoods, in chic
cosmopolitan halls tuc(ed away in the West 4nd, or in glittering theatres li(e the 4mpire on
Leicester -Buare, which offered picturesBue 'allet,e>travagan<as%
-everal actor,managers,,Charles Wyndham at the Criterion on Picadilly Circus, !ohn 5are at the
?arric( on Charing Cross @oad, and ?eorge le>ander at the -t% !ames's,,speciali<ed in 7-ociety
.rama,7 plays of modern life set in the rarefied world of the upper classes% These plays could 'e
witty and frivolous light comedies6 or they could 'e ponderous dramatic treatises on difficult
social issues, most often the se>ual 7dou'le standard7 and the 7pro'lem7 of the 7fallen woman%7
One such play, The Second Mrs Tanqueray 'y rthur Wing Pinero, had 'een presented 'y ?eorge
le>ander at the -t% !ames's Theatre two years earlier, with the fiery and e>otic actress Mrs%
Patric( Camp'ell 'ecoming an instant star as the former (ept,woman trying to fit into the
respecta'le world of her upper,class hus'and% We hear a parodic echo of plays li(e The Second
Mrs Tanqueray when !ac( Worthing 8played 'y le>ander9, in the final act of The Importance of
Being Earnest, says of Miss Prism 8who he mista(enly 'elieves to 'e his long,lost and unmarried
mother9, 7who has the right to cast a stone against one who has sufferedC Cannot repentance wipe
out an act of follyC Why should there 'e one law for men, and another for womenC7 2ut for all of
their epigramatic wit and parado>ical attitudes towards life, Oscar Wilde's other "/#;s society
comedies 8ady !indermere's "an, A !oman of #o Importance, and An Ideal Husband9 are all
serious 7pro'lem7 dramas a'out the intracta'ility of se>ual dou'le,standards and the personal
costs of respecta'ility, precisely those issues that Wilde appears 8at least9 to 'e satiri<ing in The
Importance of Being Earnest%
t the 'eginning of Pinero's The Second Mrs Tanqueray, u'rey TanBueray 8played 'y
le>ander9 re'u(es his friend Cayley .rummle 8a man,a'out,town modelled in part on Oscar
Wilde9 for sharing in the values of 7The Way of World7 and condemning all women of dou'tful
moral reputation% .rummle responds, 7My dear u'rey, : li$e in the world%7 u'rey ruefully
defines what .rummle means 'y 7the world73 7The name we give our little parish of -t% !ames's%7
*or an upper,class 'achelor in the "/#;s, the little parish of -t% !ames's %as the world% 4>clusive
gentleman's clu's line Pall Mall% long !ermyn -treet are the custom shirtma(ers and
'ootma(ers% few 'loc(s away are hotels, shops, and galleries of Picadilly, and the 7'espo(e7
tailors of -aville @ow% Within a short wal( or a carriage ride, a young man could leave his
'achelor apartment in the l'any 8where !ac( Worthing resides, under the name 74rnest,7 in The
Importance of Being Earnest9, shop, pay an 7at,home7 call in Mayfair or 2elgravia, dine at his
clu', ta(e in a play at one of a do<en theatres, or see a 'allet at the 4mpire% nd at the -t% !ames's
Theatre 8now demolished9, right at the center of 7our little parish of -t% !ames's,7 a young man
could ta(e a seat in the stalls for ady !indermere's "an or The Importance of Being Earnest%
The Importance of Being Earnest at the -t% !ames's Theatre was a -ociety Comedy a'out life in
-t% !ames's for audiences who lived or shopped or dined in -t% !ames's% nd -ociety .rama as a
whole was a mirror in which fashiona'le audiences could see fashiona'le images of their own
fashiona'le world of at,homes, dinner parties, and country,house wee(ends6 a world in which
gentlemen with hyphenated surnames, dressed in carefully,creased trousers and elegant cravats,
made small tal( with titled ladies dressed a la mode, and flirted, for a moment only, with the
dreaded possi'ilities of adultery and interclass marriage6 a world in which one could pause for a
moment to consider what to do with the women of dou'tful reputation in one's midst, 'ut where
one would not hesitate to 'anish these 7fallen7 women 'ac( to their declasse world of Parisian
'oarding houses and second,rate continental resort towns%
With regard to clothing, -ociety .rama at the fashiona'le theatres was a mirror literally as well
as figuratively% ctors employed 'y ?eorge le>ander at the -t% !ames's were contractually
reBuired to dress appropriately 7off,stage as well as ,on,7 and could 'e fired if spotted wal(ing in
Picadilly during the day in anything less than a well,tailored morning coat% Dew -ociety .ramas
would often premier at the 'eginning of the London 7season,7 and women would wait until they
saw the fashions worn 'y the female characters in the play 'efore they ordered their new gowns
and hats% nd would,'e high,fashion couturiers with assumed *rench names would design
theatrical costumes for -ociety .ramas and then, their reputations esta'lished, 'ecame high,
society dress designers in the 7real7 world instead%
2ut if theatre is a mirror, it is a flattering mirror that lets the viewer see only what he or she wants
to see% nd the mirror,image relationship 'etween the audience and the play in late,&ictorian
-ociety .rama is more nota'le for what the theatre chose to leave out than what it mirrored% *or
the world of high society and high fashion was more porous than anyone in society cared to
admit6 and the theatre, as it often does, em'odied 'y its very theatrical nature the insta'ility of the
4nglish class system%
This was certainly true of the theatre auditorium% udiences in even the most fashiona'le theatres
included mem'ers of every class, from aristocrats and financiers, to 'usinessmen and
professionals, to shop(eepers, cler(s, and artisans, to servants and la'orers% The lower classes had
their own seating areas, with their own entrances, lo''ies, 'ars, and 'athrooms in the theatre% 2ut,
in the more e>pensive parts of the house, the auditorium was 'y no means as segregated as
mem'ers of 7society7 might wish% fter all, not everyone could 'e admitted to a fashiona'le
drawing,room6 'ut anyone who could afford the higher,priced tic(et and had the right clothing
could sit in the stalls or the dress circle%
The actors on stage em'odied these social am'iguities% Towards the end of the century, as the
theatrical profession 'ecame more respecta'le, acting was no longer the e>clusive province of
theatrical families, social outcasts, and women of loose morals,,the class of people that centuries
'efore had 'een legally classified as 7rogues and vaga'onds76 and respecta'le, educated people
from the middle classes could now enter the profession without too much social stigma% 2ut even
then, actors were certainly not, in their social origins, the aristocrats and ladies and gentlemen
they successfully pretended to 'e on stage in -ociety .rama% ?eorge le>ander was typical of his
generation of actors3 his father was in dry goods, and he dropped out of school when he was
fifteen to 'e a cler( in a London office, 1oined a part,time amateur dramatic society, and then
went into acting professionally% Do wonder le>ander insisted that his actors dress well on,stage
and ,off3 only 'y their a'ility to wear perfectly,tailored clothes and a perfectly,chosen 'uttonhole
could actors convince audiences that they were, in manners, the gentlemen they pretended to
play% One of le>ander's most popular roles,,in a dramati<ation of the popular novel, The
&risoner of 'enda,,is em'lematic of the actor's theatrical status as a gentleman% :n it, le>ander
played a middle,class 4nglish tourist with an uncanny resem'lance to the em'attled Eing of
@uritania6 1ust put the middle,class 4nglishman in the right clothes, and he can play the part of a
Eing to perfection%
The social am'iguities present on the stage andd in the auditorium of the -t% !ames's Theatre were
present in the entertainment industry as a whole% Dot all of the pleasures to 'e found for money in
7our little parish of -t% !ames's7 were dignified, or even legal% Then, as now, the theatre was only
one of the trades that offered the spectacle of 'odies for pu'lic scrutiny and sale3 the West end
offered patrons not only theatres, restaurants and 'ars, 'ut streetwal(ers and 'rothels% The worlds
of the late,&ictorian theatre and the flesh trade overlapped directly, particularly at the 4mpire
Theatre in Leicester -Buare% There, in the infamous 7promenade7,,a wide horseshoe,shaped 'ar
and lo''y space 'ehind the first tier of gallery seats, with an open view of the auditorium and the
stage,,high,priced prostitutes and elegantly,dressed gentlemen would ma(e their assignations%
4ven after a well,pu'lici<ed series of pu'lic hearings, the scandalous practice continued openly%
nd a compromise arrangement that had 'een reached,,to let the open solicitations continue, 'ut
to screen off the promenade from the auditorium with a low 'arrier,,did not last long3 on the first
night after the 'arrier was installed, it was torn down in protest 'y a gang of young, fashiona'le,
gentlemen,a'out,town, led 'y the young Winston Churchill%
:f anyone (new a'out the theatricality of late,&ictorian 5igh -ociety, it was Oscar Wilde% 5e
was, after all, a perpetual outsider in the world of elegant fashion and society he freBuented% n
:rishman of middle,class origins among the 4nglish, he gained access to the upper,class worlds
of O>ford and London through his sheer intellectual and artistic 'rilliance% n espouser of the
7truth of mas(s,7 he constantly wore the mas( of the dandy and the aesthete% nd he wrote plays
a'out the impenetra'ility of the very 7society7 that he had, in fact, successfully penetrated%
ll of these dualities are reflected in the fun,house mirror of The Importance of Being Earnest%
We can see why !ac( Worthing, a respecta'le provincial 1ustice of the peace, would need to
invent a ne'er,do,well younger 'rother to 1ustify his freBuent trips to his 'achelor rooms up in
London% We can easily picture how he spends his time in London when he is not paying at,home
calls to the 5on% ?wendolyn *airfa>% We can guess why !ac( 8under his assumed name9 and his
friend lgernon Montcrieff go to the 4mpire% nd we can only imagine where lgernon goes on
his 72un'urying7 e>peditions once he's gotten out of his dinner engagement with his unt, Lady
2rac(nell% We can certainly see why Lady 2rac(nell is so concerned a'out her daughter's
prospective fiance's Bualifications for marrying into the family, and whether Worthing's father
was 'orn in the 7purple of commerce,7 or whether he rose 7from the ran(s of the aristocracy%7
nd we can see why Worthing's 7contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life7 reminds
Lady 2rac(nell 7of the worst e>cesses of the *rench @evolution % % % and : presume you (now
what that unfortunate movement led toC7 The Importance of Being Earnest depicts a world in
which the 'est (ept secrets are the ones that everyone (nows6 a world in which everyone (nows
very well that their world is not as sta'le, as e>clusive, or as moral as it pretends to 'e6 and a
world in which everyone appreciates the vital importance of maintaining at all cost what they
(now to 'e the fictions of everyday life%
Which 'rinngs us 'ac( to the opening night of The Importance of Being Earnest at the -t% !ames's
Theatre on &alentine's .ay, "/#0, and the lily of the valley in Oscar Wilde's lapel% Two years
'efore, at the opening of ady !indermere's "an at the same theatre, Wilde, along with one of
the characters in the play, had worn a green carnation, an open ac(nowledgement of the
homose>ual su',culture to which Wilde and many of his friends 'elonged% :n "/#0, while The
Importance of Being Earnest was in rehearsal, Wilde was in the middle of his trou'led 'ut long,
term relationship with Lord lfred .ouglas, and was 'eing pursued 'y .ouglas's father, the
pugnacious and homopho'ic MarBuis of Fueens'ury 8author of 7Fueens'ury rules7 of 'o>ing9%
Fueens'ury had 'ought a tic(et to the opening night of The Importance of Being Ernest, planning
to disrupt the play with a demonstration% policemen met Fueens'ury at the door and prevented
his admission% Two wee(s later, Fueens'ury left a calling card in Wilde's mail'o> at the
l'emarle clu', with a note written on it3 7To Oscar Wilde, posing as a -omdomite%7 The spelling
error 8he no dou't meant 7sodomite79 and the cautious reference to Wilde's 7pose7
notwithstanding, Wilde decided to ta(e legal action and sued Fueens'ury for li'el% Wilde lost the
case6 he was arrested for sodomy immediately after, tried, convicted, and sentenced to two years
hard la'or%
.uring the height of the controversy, le>ander withdrew The Importance of Being Earnest from
performance% 5e revived it in "#;G, without the disgraced author's name on the program% Only in
a revival in "#;# did le>ander return Wilde's name to the 'ill, and the play had the long and
commercially successful theatrical run that it deserved%