Latest news with #TheImportanceofBeingEarnest
Irish Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
Writing desk and bed belonging to Oscar Wilde fetch high sums at auction
TWO antique items which once belonged to Oscar Wilde have fetched well over their estimated price at auction. A desk and a bed formerly owned by the Irish literary icon featured in Fonsie Mealy's Summer Fine Art & Antique Sale which took place on June 19. The Davenport desk, which was made in 1830, stood in Wilde's study when he lived at 16 Tite Street in west London's Chelsea. It is believed to have been where he wrote some of his most notable works. Despite an estimate of €8k the item proved popular among bidders and it eventually sold for €29k. The Davenport desk which belonged to Oscar Wilde sold for €29k at auction Dublin-born Wilde moved into Tite Street in 1884 with his wife Constance. They went on to have two sons whilst living in the property, where they remained until Wilde's arrest and prosecution for 'gross indecency' in 1895. During his time there, he wrote classics including The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest. The desk was removed from the house by his friend, the artist Mortimor Menpes, shortly before the court-ordered auction of Wilde's possessions following his trial and imprisonment. So too was a French bed once belonging to Wilde's mother, which also went up for auction in this month's sale. A richly carved walnut and ebonised bateau bed, the item, like the Davenport desk, was removed from Wilde's house by Menpes prior to the auction of his possessions on April 24, 1895. Oscar Wilde's mother's bed sold for €15k at auction this month 'It was originally purchased by Lady Wilde (Oscar Wilde's mother) during a visit to Paris in 1878,' the auctioneers state. 'Believed to have been acquired at the Exposition Universelle - the Paris World's Fair of that year - the bed reflects the grandeur and decorative exuberance of mid-late 19th-century French design,' they add. 'The headboard is surmounted by an exquisitely carved coat of arms for the city of Paris, featuring the city's crest—a ship and three fleur-de-lis—topped by a coronet and framed by an oak branch with detailed leaves and acorns on one side, and a finely rendered stem of laurel on the other. 'Below this, a flowing scroll bears the Parisian motto Fluctuat nec mergitur ('[She] is rocked by the waves, but does not sink'), a symbolic and poetic touch befitting the Wilde family's taste for art, symbolism, and continental flair.' The bed, which had an estimate of €4k, sold for €15k when it went under the hammer at Fonsie Mealy's auction house in Co. Kilkenny. See More: Auction, Bed, London, Oscar Wilde, Tite Street, Writing Desk
Perth Now
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Olly Alexander 'wants to take his foot off the gas' as a musician
Olly Alexander doesn't enjoy the "intensity" of the music business. The 34-year-old singer has put his music career on hold in recent months, in order to focus on acting, and Olly admits that the industry has been overwhelming at times. The Years and Years star told the BBC: "With music, there's an intensity to the way I've been working and putting albums out, promoting and touring. "I definitely want to take the foot off the gas in terms of that intensity." Olly announced his departure from his record label earlier this year, and the singer is currently preparing to star in a West End production of 'The Importance of Being Earnest'. Olly is relishing the stability that acting has given him. He said: "I spent a lot of my previous years moving around, touring, which is so fun and amazing. But I also very much appreciate staying in one place now. "Having a home in London with my partner, my cats, just trotting off to the theatre every night - that just sounds like the most wonderful existence." Meanwhile, Olly previously revealed that he turned to Sir Elton John and Kylie Minogue for advice on how to deal with fame. The pop star - who has also enjoyed significant success as an actor - told the Evening Standard newspaper: "Working with Elton and even Kylie, two of the most iconic legends, they both told me how they've struggled as an artist to feel like at times they knew what they were doing, feeling really dark. "Elton talks a lot about how depressed he was and how difficult things got for him and hearing them talk about that you just go 'wow'." Olly actually found their advice to be really reassuring. The award-winning star said: "I'm someone who is constantly questioning why the hell I'm here and doing what I'm doing like 'oh my God' - I'm totally that person. But to hear that from people I really, really respect that it's normal and you just get through it somehow. That was good advice and good to hear."
Perth Now
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Olly Alexander bemoans music industry's 'antiquated' approach
Olly Alexander thinks the music industry has "not kept pace with the times". The 34-year-old star - who is best-known as the lead singer of Years and Years - feels the music industry is using a "very antiquated" business model. He told the BBC: "A lot of the reason I think the industry has changed so much is that it's set on this model which is very antiquated now, and it's not kept pace with the times. "Lots of artists have this direct link with their audience via social media. They want their music out quickly. The whole model of promoting it - three singles into an album, then you tour the album, then move onto the next one - it's not really working like it did." Olly observed that record labels used to be able to make an album successful by pouring "a lot of money into something". He continued: "They just can't do that now. Everything has changed. But I think that is exciting for lots of reasons, and it is an exciting place for artists, even though it's harder to break through." Olly is currently focusing on his acting career. However, if he does decide to return to the music business, he won't allow himself to be dictated to by record executives. The 'Sanctify' hitmaker explained: "If I go back into it, it'll be because I think it's fun and something I want to do, and not think too much about how it's going to perform. "That's pretty much how I try to always feel, but you're in an environment where you have a lot of other stakeholders, and people telling you it needs to be this or that, and there's always that tension." Olly recently parted ways with his record label, and is set to star in London's West End later this year, when he'll appear in the National Theatre's production of 'The Importance of Being Earnest'. Looking forward to the challenge, Olly said: "I'd recently been thinking that I'd love to act again. "I'd come to the end of my record contract, and I have a bit more breathing space to try a few different things and not feel, oh, well I have to deliver an album to my record label."
Time Out
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Ncuti Gatwa regenerates into Olly Alexander as the NT's ‘Importance of Being Earnest' transfers to London's West End
Ncuti Gatwa's time on Doctor Who proved to be pretty brief. But he didn't put his feet up in the gap between his two seasons – theatre was his first love and he got straight back on that stage last Christmas to star in the National Theatre's hallucinogenically camp take on Oscar Wilde's classic 'The Importance of Being Earnest', the first the NT had staged since the '80s. The Max Webster-directed production was a roaring great hit and now it's set to transfer to the West End, replacing Mischief Theatre's ' The Comedy About Spies ' at the Noël Coward Theatre. Gatwa's not coming along though: whether he'd have been up for it is a moot point, as he's already busy starring in the RSC's new West End play Born with Teeth. However, a fine replacement has been found for the role of young 'bachelor' about town Algernon Montcrieff: it's Olly Alexander, who hasn't been in Doctor Who but did make his name as actor in ' It's A Sin ', another show by Russell T Davies. Wilde's play is very much an ensemble affair and there is no news on further casting at this stage, though we dare to dream that the mighty Sharon D Clarke will return as the formidable Lady Bracknell. If you want to know a little more about what the production was like last time, then read our four-star review here. The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2025.
Express Tribune
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Ncuti Gatwa exits Doctor Who as Billie Piper returns in unexpected regeneration twist
Ncuti Gatwa has exited Doctor Who in a surprising twist that concludes his brief tenure as the Time Lord. In the finale of Series 14, which aired Saturday, Gatwa's Doctor regenerates into a form portrayed by Billie Piper — best known for her role as companion Rose Tyler in the show's early revival seasons. The transformation introduces a new, unexplained version of Piper's character, prompting speculation about her future involvement. According to the BBC, the closing credits read: 'Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor. Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. And introducing Billie Piper.' Though this strongly hints at Piper's new incarnation as the Doctor, her role has not been officially confirmed. In a statement to the BBC, Piper said, 'It's no secret how much I love this show… to be given the opportunity to step back on that Tardis one more time was just something I couldn't refuse, but who, how, why and when, you'll just have to wait and see.' Gatwa's departure, rumored ahead of Season 2's April premiere, comes amid declining ratings. He made history as the first openly queer Black actor to portray the Doctor, joining companions Millie Gibson and Varada Sethu under showrunner Russell T Davies. His exit marks one of the shortest stints in the show's history — just slightly longer than Christopher Eccleston's — and raises questions about the show's direction. Doctor Who was commissioned for two seasons on Disney+ and the BBC but has yet to be renewed. In April, Gatwa deflected questions about a third season, saying, 'It's very ironic that in a show about time travel, you can't talk about the future.' Outside the TARDIS, Gatwa continues a successful stage career. He recently starred in The Importance of Being Earnest at London's National Theatre and is set to headline Born With Teeth this summer. He's also filming The Roses, a dark comedy directed by Jay Roach and featuring Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman, and Andy Samberg.
