A Woman of No Importance

Written by Oscar Wilde

Narrated by Martin Jarvis, Peter Dennis, Jim Norton and 8 more

Devilishly attractive Lord Illingworth is notorious for his skill as a seducer. But he is still invited to all the “best” houses while his female conquests must hide their shame in seclusion. In this devastating comedy, Wilde uses his celebrated wit to expose English society’s narrow view of everything from sexual mores to Americans. Adapted by Martin Jarvis.

An L.A. Theatre Works full cast performance featuring:

Martin Jarvis as Lord Illingworth
Peter Dennis as Sir John Pontefract
Jim Norton as Mr. Kelvil, M.P.
Robert Machray as The Venerable Archdeacon Daubeny, D.D.
Paul Gutrecht as Gerald Arbuthnot
Miriam Margolyes as Lady Hunstanton
Jane Carr as Lady Caroline Pontefract
Judy Geeson as Lady Stutfield
Cherie Lunghi as Mrs. Allonby and Alice
Samantha Mathis as Miss Hester Worsley
Rosalind Ayres as Mrs. Arbuthnot

Includes an interview with Oscar Wilde’s only grandchild, Merlin Holland, who is also a noted biographer and editor of Wilde’s works.

Directed by Michael Hackett. Recorded before a live audience at the DoubleTree Suites, Santa Monica in November of 1995.

• Language: English
• Publisher: L.A. Theatre Works
• Release date: Jan 1, 2001
• ISBN: 9781580815307

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was a Dublin-born poet and playwright who studied at the Portora Royal School, before attending Trinity College and Magdalen College, Oxford. The son of two writers, Wilde grew up in an intellectual environment. As a young man, his poetry appeared in various periodicals including Dublin University Magazine. In 1881, he published his first book Poems, an expansive collection of his earlier works. His only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was released in 1890 followed by the acclaimed plays Lady Windermere’s Fan (1893) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).

Reviews for A Woman of No Importance

[hemlokgang · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A small gem of a drama. Oscar Wilde's perfect t use of language makes this play both witty and stinging. A mother maintains her dignity in the face of disgrace, and endears herself to her son while deflating his natural father's haughty condescension. Excellent!

[leticia.toraci · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Witty as only Oscar Wilde can write.

[durgaprsd04-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book is all about purity. What somebody thinks about the same.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The title says it all. A condemnation of a society in which mistakes are never forgiven, in which souls are lost forever, for youthful indiscretion and surrender to one's emotions.

[allie c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars

It was absolutely fantastic, hilarious, important and intelligent.

[Nichoku · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a really good read by Oscar Wilde. I love how the book started with the title "A Woman of No Importance" and ended with the sentence "A Man of No Importance." While I'm not in the mood to delve into the connotative meaning of the start and end of this masterpiece, the author did an excellent job of humorously communicating societal flaws in gender perception. However, I'll leave that analysis for another time.