Short answers, pulled from the story.
The play premiered on the 14th of February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London. The production ran for 86 performances before closing on the 8th of May 1895 due to the scandal surrounding Oscar Wilde.
The play follows two young men, Algernon Moncrieff and John Worthing, who lead double lives to evade social obligations while assuming the name Ernest. Their deceptions unravel when they meet Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax, leading to a series of revelations about their true identities and family connections.
The play closed on the 8th of May 1895 because a series of legal trials from March to May 1895 resulted in Oscar Wilde's conviction and imprisonment for homosexual acts. The Victorian public turned against him, causing box-office receipts to dwindle and ending his dramatic career.
The narrative centers on Algernon Moncrieff and John Worthing, who both assume the name Ernest to pursue their romantic interests. Supporting characters include Gwendolen Fairfax, Cecily Cardew, Lady Bracknell, Miss Prism, and Canon Chasuble.
The name Ernest represents a Victorian societal value of earnestness, which the play parodies by suggesting that the name itself is the only safe choice for a husband. The title is a pun on the word earnest, meaning serious, and the name Ernest, which Jack Worthing discovers is his original christening name.
The play has been adapted for radio from the 1920s onwards and for television since the 1930s. It has been filmed for cinema three times in 1952, 1992, and 2002, and has been turned into operas and musicals, with the 1995 centenary marking it as the second most known and quoted play in English after Hamlet.