A Woman of No Importance
In yet another Wilde revival, Oscar satirises a batch of upper-class personalities as they swap ‘aperçus’ on the subjects of marriage, the differences between men and women, and the poor, and eventually arrives at the meat of the piece when he reveals an unmarried mother (‘quelle horreur’) is secretly in their midst. Galleon Theatre Company, based at the misleadingly named Playhouse (it is tiny), have chosen to update the play to the 1950’s.
The only clear effect of giving the play a 50’s setting is that we can enjoy some nice fashion of the period. Otherwise, the language and social types felt very much of their time, and if I half-closed my eyes, I still saw bustles and frock-coats.
– Alison Goldie