"Never speak disrespectively of society," says Lady Bracknell in Oscar Wilde's still-vital classic. "Only people who can't get into it do that." The opening lines set the tone of this laugh-a-minute mimicry of upper-crust Victorian society and the marriage state. But without expert delivery, the dialogue is just funny words. The convoluted plot operates from a twisted logic, and Wilde's famous British wit is meant to flow off the tongue. At American Heartland Theatre, it did, thanks to a pitch-perfect cast. (The tightly directed farce was further helped by costumes that were not only beautiful to behold but also period-correct from hat to shoe.) We still recall Rusty Sneary, Todd Carlton Lanker, Jim Korinke, Emily Peterson, Natalie Liccardello, John Rensenhouse and Cathy Wood in character. We're still smiling.
