The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest is, for my money, one of the greatest plays in the English language.  It’s certainly one of the funniest, almost every line is a joke or the set up for one.  So it was an absolute pleasure to visit Second Thoughts Theatre Company as they tackled this classic piece of theatre.

The play started with the butler Lane – played in suitably lugubrious fashion by Ian McLean – setting up the cucumber sandwiches in the home of Algernon Moncrieff (Emerson Fairclough), in anticipation of a visit from his aunt.  But instead, his friend Jack Worthing (Adam Schumacher) appeared, in search of a lost cigarette case, and the farcical plot was set in motion.  There were very good performances from both Emerson and Adam, who also sported very Wildean haircuts!  They had a good chemistry together, the friendly banter between them was well established, and they were successful in hitting the many humorous notes of the script.  I wish they had not spent quite so much time with their hands in their pockets, though!

Algernon’s visitors soon arrived, in the form of Jack’s beloved Gwendolen Fairfax (Second Thoughts newcomer Rachel Barton-Noakes) and the formidable Lady Bracknell (Christa Gaskell).  Rachel was nicely haughty and in control during her scene with Jack, forcing him to his knees in proposing marriage; whilst Christa was just right as the straight-backed Lady B, with a nicely clipped delivery and superior tone.  She also wore an amazing hat which seemed to have a life of its own!  Her delivery of the iconic line ‘”A Handbag?!” even garnered a round of applause from the audience!

The second act saw us relocated to the garden of Jack’s house in the country, which was very nicely depicted with a flower-laden arch and trellises.  There we met Jack’s ward and the object of Algernon’s affections, Cecily Cardew (Georgina Monk), hard at work with her governess Miss Prism (Dee Alder, another welcome addition to the Group).  These were also strong performances, with Georgina just right as the wilful Cecily and Dee giving us a very funny, scatterbrained Miss Prism.  Her flirtatious interactions with Canon Chasuble (Tim Raistrick) were particularly well done, with Tim also getting full value from the Canon’s rather fussy and self-obsessed characterisation.  Completing the cast was Chloe Jane Wiltshire, who gave Jack’s butler Merriman a bit of a subversive edge, perhaps indicating their disapproval at the shenanigans going on around them!

One of the highlights of the night came when Gwendolen and Cecily did battle for their Ernest over afternoon tea, each believing they were engaged to him (whilst, of course, they were in fact referring to two different men, neither of whom were called Ernest!)  This very funny scene was brilliantly delivered by both performers, as was the subsequent entrance of Jack and Algy, which saw them suddenly become allies.  It was also good to see actual tea coming out of the pot, a realistic touch which seems to be a rarity these days! 

Into the final act (Earnest is a long play, but it really didn’t feel like it), we saw Lady Bracknell reappear for a scene of revelations inside Jack’s drawing room.  I noticed that Jack seemed to have a remarkably similar taste in interior design to Algernon!  But the set was nicely done, with some very good period-style furniture completing the look.  There was a great pace to the conclusion as the revelations about Jack’s ancestry were laid bare, to the odd gasp from the audience!  I particularly like the conclusion, where the characters were paired up, Miss Prism gleefully chucking away her long lost handbag in exchange for the embrace of Canon Chasuble!

The play was well directed by Nic Walsh, keeping the pace up and letting the brilliance of Wilde’s lines speak for themselves.  I thought the costumes were also very good, especially Lady Bracknell’s outfits and Jack’s impressive mourning outfit.  Lighting was also good in general, although it didn’t quite reach the edges of the acting area, meaning that on occasion the performers were not quite in the light.  But this is a small concern, given the overwhelming success of the evening.

My congratulations to Second Thoughts on a really high class interpretation of The Importance of Being Earnest.  I know the play quite well, having been in it twice, and had high expectations that I am very happy to say were more than matched.  Well done to everybody – the challenge now will be to follow that, and I look forward to seeing Second Thoughts do so with Shakespeare on Love, arriving just in time for Valentine’s Day next February.  

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