A scene from the play

"I am sick to death of cleverness. Everybody is clever nowadays." If these words make you think of the smart alecs who unleash their one-liners on social media, it was cleverness of another kind that was irking Oscar Wilde when he wrote the line 123 years ago. But it's this resonance of the Irish poet and playwright's work that puts The Importance of Being Earnest in the company of other classic plays, bringing with them a certain freshness every time they return to the stage.