The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest is widely regarded as a literary masterpiece and one of the greatest comedies in the English language, and it’s not difficult to see why. Written in 1895, the play is still as fresh and relevant as ever and never seems to date. Oscar Wilde’s riotous satire of Victorian manners, packed with secret identities, razor-sharp wit and scandalously misplaced handbags, still delights audiences 130 years on. In fact, one of the many theatrical highlights of my life is being treated to a good production of this wonderfully farcical play and Boston Playgoers did not disappoint.

The play opens in a fashionable London flat in Half Moon Street, the residence of Algernon Moncrief who we hear playing the piano, while his butler, Lane, prepares a tea service for his employee’s aunt and cousin. The role of Algernon was portrayed by Callum Forman, now a familiar face in a Playgoers’ production and one that I never tire of seeing. As an audience member, it’s great to see Callum command the stage and inhabit each part he takes with truth and dynamism. With great skill, he captured the charming air of this idle, decorative bachelor and delivered Algie’s numerous witticisms with precision and style. For me, I like more camp and foppishness in my Algernons, but this is a personal preference, and Callum’s interpretation was equally valid, and this certainly didn’t detract from his polished performance.

Algernon is soon joined on stage by Mr Jack Worthing, the play’s lead protagonist, a friend who divides his time between London and his country retreat. Jack explains that he has returned to town to propose to Algie’s cousin, Gwendolen, whom he has been courting. Dan Poulson took the role of Jack and brought quite a different take on the character to the stage, one I very much liked discovering. Jack is often depicted as a calm, measured, quite unflappable type, even as the absurd chaos unfolds around him, but Dan’s portrayal was clumsy, cumbersome, almost buffoonish. His shabby, ill-fitting grey morning suit in the opening act was cleverly designed to give him a clown-like feel, and he carried this characterisation through the action; a child-like petulance which gave more scope for slapstick and physical comedy. Although, perhaps, somewhat mature for the role, Dan gave a lovely performance which I enjoyed very much.

Another cast member who was, maybe, a little too mature for her part, was Melissa Poulson as Gwendolen Fairfax, but I do acknowledge the challenges societies often face during the casting process, and this shouldn’t undermine Melissa’s acting ability or stage skills. Gwendolen takes the lion’s share of my favourite dialogue in the play, and Melissa delivered lines like, “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train” and “This suspense is terrible. I hope it will last” with tangible relish. I also loved her breathy utterance of the name ‘Earnest’ which did, indeed, “produce vibrations”. It was almost as good as the way she spat out the name ‘Jack’. Melissa was clearly having a fabulous time as Miss Fairfax and her enjoyment was infectious.

Jo Warrick had the unenviable task of playing the iconic role of Lady Bracknell in the shadow of such acting luminaries as Edith Evans, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and David Suchet, and most certainly rose to the challenge. It’s a difficult role as actors are inevitably compared to predecessors but she put her on stamp on the character, making it her own. As always, Jo had wonderful stage presence, and her diminutive stature was a superb contrast to the strong-minded, forth-right personality of her character. I really liked Jo’s sharp, spikey delivery as she sneered at the quality of her nephew’s tea, spitting out consonants with gusto as she emphasised the most condescending of words. Occasionally, I would have liked a little more stillness from the character as this would have elevated her status, but this a minor point in what was an excellent performance.

In Act Two, the audience was transported to the garden at the Manor House in Woolton, the country seat of Jack Worthing. There we were introduced, for the first time, to the deliciously narrow-minded and moralistic, Miss Prism; my favourite character in the piece and consequently one which I am always anxious to meet, in case of disappointment. However, I should have known my apprehensions would be unfounded with talented character actor, Rachel Rowett, in the role. She was simply delightful, twittering through her lines and fluttering around the stage like a nervous bird. Prism’s absurdly repressed attempts at flirtation with the canon were so funny and performed with consummate skill and comic timing by Rachel, and the delivery of her Act Three monologue, bulging with revelation, was a high point of the play for me.

The object of Miss Prism’s affections Dr Chasuble, the local rector, was played with aplomb by Peter Kay. It was another joyous performance, pitched perfectly; Peter encapsulating the wonderful contradictions of his character through befuddled gestures and well-placed stress on certain words in his convoluted metaphors. His chemistry with Rachel’s Prism was strong and the scenes between them were beautifully directed and acted, the outwardly meek, prim characters tussling with their inner desires. Peter performed the clash of public image and private desires particularly well.

The final principal performance came from Megan Davies as Cecily Cardew, and it was a tour de force. From the moment she graced the stage, she sparkled, delighting with every raised eyebrow and charismatic smile. It was a fresh, vibrant interpretation of Cecily, infused with a ‘twenty-first century energy’, and flawless comic timing. Megan clearly understood the text and her lines were delivered with excellent intonation and emphasis, and all illustrated with some fabulous facial expressions. I loved how she cleverly juxtaposed Cecily’s silly, girlish immaturity with the seething passions for ‘her Earnest’, and it was delightful for the audience to watch these passions gradually bubble to the surface. A sharp, effervescent performance from beginning to end.

Director, Laura Griffin, should be congratulated on enabling her actors to bring Wilde’s play to life with such skill and dexterity. She ensured that all her characters, even the much smaller roles of Lane (Mick Broadhurst) and Merriman (Ben Green) made an impact. The pace and rhythm she injected into the piece was superb and this is especially important with a play like Earnest. There was an undeniable flow to the proceedings as the dialogue moved at break-neck speed, however there were perhaps moments where the action may have benefitted from a well-judged application of brakes to give the play (and actors) a chance to breathe. Also, I would have maybe liked to have seen more evidence of focused work around pronunciation; I particularly noticed some flattened vowels throughout. Also, with pacey dialogue, enunciation can be lost, so extra attention should have been paid to the clarity and distinctness of sounds in some of the words.

Lighting by Millie Johnson and sound by Callum Thursby were well-designed and unintrusive, and the scene changes were slick. I liked the idea of the simple, slightly stylised sets of Acts One and Three but felt this design didn’t sit comfortably alongside the sumptuous, more traditional backdrop used in Act Two. Also, I wonder if the set dressing and props would have benefitted from a little more attention to detail; the bookshelves could have been fuller, the garden foliage could have been richer, the crocheted blanket was too conspicuous, and the sugar lumps were conspicuous by the absence. On the whole, the costumes were good and suited the period. I would have liked to have seen Cecily in something more ‘girly’ and playful, but I loved the dresses worn by Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen. The programme was excellent.

One always feels in safe hands with a Boston Playgoers’ production, audiences are guaranteed a good quality show and The Importance of Being Earnest was no exception. There was so much to enjoy in this production including some outstanding acting and some great examples of how to bring out the best in an Oscar Wilde script. Huge congratulations to Laura Griffin and the whole team for a most charming evening of entertainment.

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