A tender love story, a serpentine villainess, a glittering setting in London society and a shower of Wildean witticisms are only a few of the reasons this play has enjoyed hugely successful revivals in London and New York. This 1895 drama also seems eerily prescient, as it explores the plight of a promising young politician, desperate to hide a secret in his past. With empathy and wit, Wilde explores the pitfalls of holding public figures to higher standards than the rest of us.

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

Rosalind Ayres as Lady Gertrude Chiltern
Jacqueline Bisset as Mrs. Cheveley
Paul Gutrecht as Vicomte de Nanjac
Martin Jarvis as Sir Robert Chiltern
Robert Machray as Phipps
Miriam Margolyes as Lady Markby
Alfred Molina as Lord Goring
Jim Norton as Lord Caversham
Yeardley Smith as Mabel Chiltern

Includes an interview with Michael Hackett—the Department Chair of Theater at UCLA. In addition to his extensive directorial work for L.A. Theatre Works—which includes plays by Oscar Wilde, Tennessee Williams, and Noël Coward.

Directed by Michael Hackett. Recorded before a live audience at the DoubleTree Suites, Santa Monica in January of 1997.