Oscar Wilde’s social comedy, An Ideal Husband, has charmed and challenged audiences since its glamorous London opening in 1895, which the Prince of Wales attended. When a prominent politician is blackmailed over a youthful indiscretion, society is forced to examine whether idealized notions of goodness and morality serve to uphold society or become tools of destruction. In the context of contemporary quests to grapple with the past honestly, Wilde’s sparkling and profound play is unparalleled in beckoning us to love the world “in all its tainted glory.”

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was an Irish playwright, poet, and novelist, known for his biting wit, defense of aesthetics, and defiance of social conventions. The author of celebrated comedies, including The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Windermere’s Fan, An Ideal Husband, and the iconic novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, at the height of his fame he was sentenced to two years’ hard labor for “gross indecency” with men. He died penniless in Paris three years after his release from prison. He ranks among the most celebrated writers in English literature.