The Importance of Being Earnest (Venue Cymru, Llandudno)

Archive: This review was first published on April 5, 2013 by the Daily Post

First performed in 1895, Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest has the perfect, self-aware subtitle. It was originally described as a A Trivial Comedy for Serious People, and that sums up the entire thing well.

The plot revolves around the sticky situations two amorous bachelors get themselves into by leading double lives - "I'm Jack in the country and Ernest in the town" - and trying to secure the hands of their beloveds. As in life, lies always lead to deeper misunderstandings and never make a situation any better or easier, and such is the case for Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing.

As their double identities get ever more complicated and characters make discoveries they were never intended to, the humour comes out of those drawing room comedy situations which tend to make one smile rather than laugh (although there was one gentleman in the row behind me who seemed to be having kittens at the slightest of quips).

Wilde's humour is not sophisticated, although it can be high-brow. It's clever and often cutting without seeming barbed. The play obsesses on the subject of marriage, which must have been just as easy a target for the homosexual Wilde as the other subject of the play, the British class system. There are occasional jibes at the role of the working classes which date the play instantly, but then everyone in the audience has purposefully paid to see a Victorian situation comedy and so modernity isn't expected.

I wonder what this play would be like given a radical overhaul, bringing it into the 21st century and making it relevant to today's society? It's all well and good enjoying the play how it was written, but some of the issues are transferrable and I'd find that a lot more involving. As it is, I was never more than amused by the comedy because it was coming from such an alien, distant place.

Tom Butcher (best known as PC Loxton in The Bill) is wonderful as amiable buffer Jack (or is that Ernest?) and does a great job of making Jack by far the most likeable and sympathetic character. I enjoyed his performance enormously.

Also making an impact is Jim Alexander as buffoonish rake Algy Moncrieff (or is that Ernest?) who is intended to supply the most laughs, and Alexander manages that in spades, giving a larger than life performance which is by turns fey and suave. A lot of work has gone into his characterisation.

David Gooderson (who played Dalek creator Davros in Doctor Who 30 years ago!) brings a much-needed burst of energy and eccentricity to the play in Act 2 - he doesn't get much to do, but what he does do is very good; Becky Hindley's booming Lady Bracknell certainly makes her presence felt, although in this adaptation she is curiously liberated of her most famous line ("A handbag?"), possibly in the pursuit of a fresher way of presenting a well-worn routine.

There are other highlights - Gerry Hinks' physical comedy while Merryman serves tea; Corrinne Wicks and Fiona Organ's love-hate double act as Gwendolen and Cecily; and the moment the tables are turned on Lady Bracknell when Worthing realises he has the upper hand in Act 3.

This is a traditional interpretation of an old-fashioned play, and nothing more. Some might argue that is quite enough for them, but for me this 118-year-old story needs a soupcon of today to really succeed.

The stats

Writer: Oscar Wilde

Director: Michael Lunney

Cast: Gerry Hinks (Lane/ Merriman); Jim Alexander (Algernon Moncrieff); Tom Butcher (Jack Worthing); Becky Hindley (Lady Bracknell); Corrinne Wicks (Gwendolen Fairfax); Fiona Organ (Cecily Cardew); Sarah Thomas (Miss Prism); David Gooderson (Rev Canon Chasuble)

Performed at Venue Cymru, Llandudno, April 4 to 6, 2013 (as part of a Middle Ground Theatre Company tour). Performance reviewed: April 4, 2013.

Links

The Importance of Being Earnest on Venue Cymru website (retrieved Jan 14 2015)

Gallery of various casts on Middle Ground website (retrieved Jan 14 2015)

The Importance of Being Earnest on SparkNotes (retrieved Jan 14 2015)

Promotional video (retrieved Jan 14 2015)