The piece was written and first performed in 1960 by Mac Liammóir at Dublin’s Gate – the first of his estimated 1,300 performances. In a theatrical tour de force, sole performer Alastair Whately delivers this homage to Oscar Wilde (with an opening nod to Mac Liammóir) with an astonishing fluidity, nuance and self-assuredness. The work lasts two hours, much of it delivered at a terrific pace, Whatley didn’t miss a word or hesitate over a line. The Importance Of is a chronological account of the remarkable life and career of one of the greatest and most quoted writers in the English language. The fateful meeting with Lord Alfred Douglas (“Bosie) happened in the same year he published The Picture of Dorian Grey.