Award-winning comedy-drama inspired by characters from Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest.
Music for the songs by Rowland Lee

"The success of this play lies in its satisfying balance between serious social comment, historical context and developing personal relationships. It provides true entertainment and fully justifies its own separate existence as a notable piece of theatre."
Arthur Rochester, Sardines

Requirements:

CAST: 4 men, 5 women, 1 singer (optional)
STAGING: Conventional proscenium, arena or in-the-round
LENGTH: 120 mins

Brief Synopsis:

What became of Cecily, Algy, Gwendolen and Jack after they got married? Earnest Endeavours envisages how different the lives of Oscar Wilde's characters would have been twenty years on from his 1895 play, showing them coping with marital meltdown and the maelstrom of WW1.

First presented by:

Theatre 62, Bromley, Kent (1911).

CAST: Suzannah Churchill, Howard James, Jenny Jones, Janet Sharrock, Stephen Whalley, Samantha Elgar, Sanchia Leddy, Pat Adams, Ian-Paul Munday and Ian Macdonald.
DIRECTOR: John Oakenfull

Cecily:
Where did we go wrong?

Gwendolen:
Priorities?

Cecily:
I remained a romantic adolescent for too long.

Gwendolen:
I had to get away from Mama.

Cecily:
And Uncle Jack - Ernest - seemed so solid.

Gwendolen:
As a stale scone.

Cecily:
Alas, scones crumble.

Original production images:

Images by Tim Hinchliffe.

Songs:
(Original production rehearsals)


Margot from Chicago.


Give Him My Love.


Tea on the Terrace.