
An Ideal Husband
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By:
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Oscar Wilde
About this listen
Listeners also enjoyed...
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This final play from the pen of Oscar Wilde is a stylish send-up of Victorian courtship and manners, complete with assumed names, mistaken lovers, and a lost handbag. Jack and Algernon are best friends, both wooing ladies who think their names are Ernest, "that name which inspires absolute confidence". Wilde's effervescent wit, scathing social satire, and high farce make this one of the most cherished plays in the English language.
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Delightfully silly
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Devilishly attractive Lord Illingworth is notorious for his skill as a seducer. But he is still invited to all the "best" houses, while his female conquests must hide their shame in seclusion. In this devastating drawing-room comedy, Oscar Wilde uses his celebrated wit to expose English society's narrow view of everything from sexual mores to Americans.
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Pitch Perfect Performance
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Lady Windermere's Fan
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Oscar Wilde's first play confronts the hypocrisy of public "morality" compared with genuine, private kindness. The reasons for its continued popularity are not difficult to identify: the play's witty dialogue contains many of Wilde's most quoted aphorisms, its stylish setting provides opportunities for elegant presentation, and its cast of memorable characters play out a story which is genuinely moving. This new audio production brings together a full cast worthy of Wilde's creative genius.
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An exciting night at the
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Salomé
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A dark tale of hubris, lust, and self-destruction… as told by a man who famously fell prey to those same impulses in his own life. Oscar Wilde wrote his original interpretation of the Biblical story of Salomé in French, and the play was so controversial that no theatre in England would produce it for nearly four decades. Includes a conversation with director Michael Hackett and Wilde scholar David Rodes. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast production.
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Great performance of a more mature play
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The Oscar Wilde Collection
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- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
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Four classic comedies from one of the wittiest playwrights in Western literature: Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest, all featuring star-studded casts with the likes of Jacqueline Bisset, Miriam Margolyes, James Marsters, Alfred Molina, Roger Rees, Yeardley Smith, Eric Stoltz, and many more. This audio also includes a chilling dramatization of Wilde's sole novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray.
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Good Collection
- By Anniebligh on 03-31-12
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The Canterville Ghost
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A terrifying ghost is haunting the ancient mansion of Canterville Chase, complete with creaking floorboards, clanking chains and gruesome disguises - but the new occupants seem strangely undisturbed by his presence. Deftly contrasting the conventional gothic ghost story with the pragmatism of the modern world, Wilde creates a gently comic fable of the conflict between old and new. Rupert Degas's hilarious reading brings the absurdity and theatricality of the story to life.
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Family ghost story
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By: Oscar Wilde
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The Importance of Being Earnest (Dramatized)
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: James Marsters, Charles Busch, Emily Bergl, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 58 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This final play from the pen of Oscar Wilde is a stylish send-up of Victorian courtship and manners, complete with assumed names, mistaken lovers, and a lost handbag. Jack and Algernon are best friends, both wooing ladies who think their names are Ernest, "that name which inspires absolute confidence". Wilde's effervescent wit, scathing social satire, and high farce make this one of the most cherished plays in the English language.
-
-
Delightfully silly
- By Tad Davis on 09-12-11
By: Oscar Wilde
-
A Woman of No Importance
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: Miriam Margolyes, Samantha Mathis, Rosalind Ayres, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 34 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Devilishly attractive Lord Illingworth is notorious for his skill as a seducer. But he is still invited to all the "best" houses, while his female conquests must hide their shame in seclusion. In this devastating drawing-room comedy, Oscar Wilde uses his celebrated wit to expose English society's narrow view of everything from sexual mores to Americans.
-
-
Pitch Perfect Performance
- By Cheryl on 08-26-12
By: Oscar Wilde
-
Lady Windermere's Fan
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: Samuel West, Michael Sheen, Derek Waring, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Oscar Wilde's first play confronts the hypocrisy of public "morality" compared with genuine, private kindness. The reasons for its continued popularity are not difficult to identify: the play's witty dialogue contains many of Wilde's most quoted aphorisms, its stylish setting provides opportunities for elegant presentation, and its cast of memorable characters play out a story which is genuinely moving. This new audio production brings together a full cast worthy of Wilde's creative genius.
-
-
An exciting night at the
- By Karen on 11-28-04
By: Oscar Wilde
-
Salomé
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: Rosalind Ayres, James Marsters, Andre Sogliuzzo, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 30 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A dark tale of hubris, lust, and self-destruction… as told by a man who famously fell prey to those same impulses in his own life. Oscar Wilde wrote his original interpretation of the Biblical story of Salomé in French, and the play was so controversial that no theatre in England would produce it for nearly four decades. Includes a conversation with director Michael Hackett and Wilde scholar David Rodes. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast production.
-
-
Great performance of a more mature play
- By Calliope on 05-03-16
By: Oscar Wilde
-
The Oscar Wilde Collection
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: James Marsters, Jacqueline Bisset, Alfred Molina, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Four classic comedies from one of the wittiest playwrights in Western literature: Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest, all featuring star-studded casts with the likes of Jacqueline Bisset, Miriam Margolyes, James Marsters, Alfred Molina, Roger Rees, Yeardley Smith, Eric Stoltz, and many more. This audio also includes a chilling dramatization of Wilde's sole novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray.
-
-
Good Collection
- By Anniebligh on 03-31-12
By: Oscar Wilde
-
The Canterville Ghost
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: Rupert Degas
- Length: 1 hr and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A terrifying ghost is haunting the ancient mansion of Canterville Chase, complete with creaking floorboards, clanking chains and gruesome disguises - but the new occupants seem strangely undisturbed by his presence. Deftly contrasting the conventional gothic ghost story with the pragmatism of the modern world, Wilde creates a gently comic fable of the conflict between old and new. Rupert Degas's hilarious reading brings the absurdity and theatricality of the story to life.
-
-
Family ghost story
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By: Oscar Wilde
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BBC Classics: Ultimate Story Collection
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A treasure chest of timeless short stories by some of the world's greatest authors.
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These are not full cast audio dramas
- By Mollie on 03-25-23
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The Apology of Socrates, written by Plato, is a Socratic dialogue of the speech of legal self-defense which Socrates spoke at his trial for impiety and corruption in 399 BC. Specifically, the Apology of Socrates is a defense against the charges of "corrupting the youth" and "not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other daimonia that are novel" to Athens.
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Absolute Truth Be Told
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The Canterville Ghost [Classic Tales Edition]
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- Narrated by: B. J. Harrison
- Length: 1 hr and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The ghost that haunts Canterville Chase has built a marvelous career of midnight haunting. But when an American family moves in, they simply have no respect for permanent bloodstains, nightmarish chains, or ancient legends. They even throw pillows at him.
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Oscar Wilde's Humor Deserves to be Lingered Over
- By Ray M on 04-22-17
By: Oscar Wilde
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She Stoops to Conquer
- Mistakes of the Night
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- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Starring James Marsters, this classic comedy of manners from 1773 is still widely performed and studied. Love, lies, and dysfunctional families. Sound like your last family gathering? Try this one on for laughs. Two randy young gents, Charles and George, set out to woo the alluring and upper-crust Kate and Constance. But inexperienced Charles is shy and clumsy around upper-class ladies, so it’s the barmaid who catches his eye. But is she really who she seems?
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Wonderful performances and production. Fun story!
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Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull is considered one of his most haunting and atmospheric character studies. A would-be playwright is at war with his egoistic mother while the town has become intoxicated by a sensational author. And as the alluring newcomer steals away Kosta’s only love, their new romance could have devastating consequences.
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Superb
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Good play, great translation, good performance
- By Timoteo on 03-08-18
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- Length: 1 hr and 54 mins
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When a small town relies on tourists flocking to its baths, will a report of dangerously polluted waters be enough to shut them down? Henrik Ibsen weighs the cost of public health versus a town's livelihood and skewers the complicity of the masses in his classic and still timely play.
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Impactful performance
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New York dilettante Marjorie Taub, a middle-aged doctor's wife, is hooked on culture - mornings at the Whitney, afternoons at MOMA, evenings at BAM. Plunged into a mid-life crisis of Medea-like proportions, she's shaken out of her lethargy by the reappearance of a fascinating childhood friend.
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A poignant look at the disillusionment and angst of the post-World War I generation, The Sun Also Rises introduces two of Hemingway’s most unforgettable characters: Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley. The story follows the flamboyant Brett and the hapless Jake as they journey from the wild nightlife of 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain with a motley group of expatriates. In his first great literary masterpiece, Hemingway portrays an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions.
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Great actor, terrible reader, kills classic
- By Kerry on 09-14-14
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Tartuffe
- By: Molière, Richard Wilbur - translator
- Narrated by: Brian Bedford, JB Blanc, Daniel Blinkoff, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 47 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Story
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Great!
- By Kevin Pablo on 03-01-17
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- Original Recording
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Story
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An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast production. In this riveting political drama, Sara, along with her German husband Kurt, returns to the opulent Washington, DC, mansion of her mother, Fanny, after years away in Europe. With Hitler and Mussolini assuming full power, Kurt finds himself blackmailed for his anti-Fascist activities as the conflict in Europe crosses the hearth of this tranquil home.
By: Lillian Hellman
What listeners say about An Ideal Husband
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- Yuefang
- 05-19-14
Love This Classic!!!
My first with this play, full of excellent casts and I enjoy the story so much. I can see thoroughly the human side of aristocrats with humorous point of view. I find it so typical of Oscar Wilde's work. I think my next venture of this author is "The Importance Of Being Earnest"
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3 people found this helpful
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- Elnoz Faiazi
- 08-25-16
The most beautiful and delicious vileness ever😍
Sir Oscar Wilde sums up the social appropriateness and morality with the most elegant and utmost wit possible!
All hail to Oscar Wild 🙌🏽
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- Calliope
- 04-20-15
a classic Wilde
Although this is one of Wilde's "society plays" and often described as a comedy, there's some very real dramatic elements in addition to the expected satire and wit. There's blackmail, insider trading, and scandal, but there's also a strong thread of loving imperfections and a person's flaws.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Martha Garvey
- 11-01-21
Wilde is eternal
Expectations are a motherforker, especiallyin a marriage. I've seen and loved this play before, and alongside the comedy is a sharp acknowledgement that money is the language of the age. Same as it ever was. Alfred Molina's "shallow" fop just glitters.
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- Lance Morgan Jr.
- 08-06-18
Hilarious and timely
Both heartwarming and amusing, this book will have you thinking about the moral standards we hold public figures to even today. I’ve always thought Oscar Wilde was a genius and here is further proof. Not only that the performance is exceptional
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Overall
- Caitlín Mitchell
- 01-29-11
Almost perfect
An Ideal Husband is my favorite of Wilde's works, and I chose to listen to this version specifically because it was presented as an audio version of the play. And were it not for Yeardley Smith as Mabel, I would have given this 5 stars. Unfortunately, I had a rather nails-on-the-chalkboard reaction to Yeardley Smith's voice. That's what I get for not listening to the sample, I suppose. I'll probably listen to An Ideal Husband again, but not this version of it.
This recording is a performance featuring Rosalind Ayres, Jacqueline Bisset, Paul Gutrecht, Martin Jarvis, Robert Machray, Miriam Margolyes, Alfred Molina, Jim Norton and Yeardley Smith.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Mary
- 04-03-09
better heard than read
Very well presented in this recording.
The politician's problem is still an issue today (trying to hide something shady in his past, and being blackmailed by someone who knows about it).
There is a lot of lighthearted and/or amusing speech throughout, and some minor characters exist mainly for laughs. Wilde puts the most seemingly frivolous major characters "in the right", both in their attitudes and their verbal cleverness.
An Ideal Husband is not a sermon, though it has a serious subject behind it.
This version definitely is more enjoyable because multiple players take part than it could be read on the page. Best of all would be to see it on the stage --- but this is a very worthy second-best.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Kelly
- 01-27-17
a Wildely Wicked and WItty Play
I enjoyed listening to this play very much. I think I will now read the play though as this version was definitely more of a performance than a narration. As much as I love the theater I love reading more so I want to now read this one. The cast was wonderful! There was so much depth to the performances and the actors did a great job bringing out Wilde's clever and witty humor.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Timoteo
- 03-08-18
Good performance
L.A. Theatre Works does great performances. Full cast, dramatic quality. Oscar Wilde was a great playwright. I love his plays. This play, in my opinion, is less good than The Importance of Being Earnest. Wilde put lots of witty comments in this play. At times it seems like the play consists mainly of such witty comments.
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