The Importance of Being Earnest

Even though I am now the official NODA West Midlands Representative for Staffordshire, I’m still greatly enjoying my trips across the border to Shropshire, especially to visit theatre companies I’ve already seen in performance. And having enjoyed the Shawbury Village Players annual pantomime, ‘Robin Hood’, back on a very cold and snowy night in early January, I was greatly looking forward to seeing them present something equally challenging but quite different.

‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is the last of four drawing room plays by the infamous Irish author, poet and playwright, Oscar Wilde, and has endured well through the decades to still entertain present-day audiences with its wit and humour. It was first performed at St James’s Theatre in London in February 1895 and follows the affairs of two fairly affluent young men, Algernon Moncriffe and Jack Worthing who in an endeavour to avoid unwanted social obligations while seeking the affections of two young women, both assume the name of Earnest. The play also introduces – and I quote their character descriptions from the play’s programme - the fearsome socialite matriarch, Lady Bracknell, her daughter, the assertive yet romantic idealist, Gwendolen, and the learned village clergyman, the Reverend Canon Chasuble.

As previously noted, the play is not only challenging from an acting point of view, but also from a staging perspective as each of the three acts takes place in a different location. So an initial hats off to Shawbury Village Players for accepting this double challenge which I have to say resulted in a most enjoyable evening of good family entertainment.

I do not intend to go into too much detail about the complexity of Oscar Wilde’s ingenious Victorian plot to spoil it for future theatre viewing. This said, I must make mention of each of the remarkable group of actors who brought this well-rehearsed production to life by delivering such superb characterisations and who, despite all the mischief and tomfoolery, cleverly kept us guessing right up to the final curtain exactly who would finally discover the importance of being Earnest!

As the curtains opened on the first act, Algernon Moncrieff’s Flat in London, we were greeted with a very well decorated and practical set which would become the basis for all three locations with relatively minor changes to the furniture and layout carried out with great speed and efficiency during the two short intervals between acts. Pale blue walls provided the main background and sides to the set with two mauve coloured doors upstage left and right and a fireplace on the left-hand wall. For this first act, the set was tastefully furnished with a table and two chairs on the right, a sideboard at the back and a grey chaise longue on the left with a small side table to the left of it.

Here we first met Algernon Moncrieff, played by James Metcalfe, chatting to his long-suffering manservant, Lane (Erin Gailey), about the impending arrival of his aunt, and making sure that a goodly supply of cucumber sandwiches had been prepared which he tasted, more than once, much to our amusement and his satisfaction. As Algy, the typical upper crust and slightly pompous country gent, James gave a very polished and inspired performance, his mannerisms, timing and natural acting ability shining through from the start and maintained to a very high standard throughout the whole piece.

Will Shields as Algy’s friend and confidant, Jack Worthing, also known as John, gave an equally strong, almost faultless performance and was particularly adept in delivering his comic lines, especially in his early amusing discussions with Algy in which he confides that he has created a fictional brother called Earnest to accommodate a more fun and lively lifestyle in London in complete contrast to his quiet existence in the countryside. Having heard this, Algernon is obliged to admit that he too has created a fictitious friend called ‘Bunbury’ whose extremely poor health and frequent relapses require regular visits and provide Algy with the perfect excuse to get out of his social responsibilities.

Jack’s relationship with the beautiful Gwendolen, portrayed with great style, elegance and stong-mindedness by Grace Jackson, was particularly inspiring and highly believable. Gwendolen is very much in love with Jack who she knows as ‘Earnest’ which is perfect for her determination only to marry a person with that name.

Later in the piece and having arrived at Jack’s Hertfordshire home assuming the identity of his non-existent brother Earnest, Algernon falls madly in love with the free-spirited Cecily, played with great charm and panache by Lisa Palmer, who it transpires has long been enamoured with Jack’s brother Earnest. The scene between Cecily and Gwendolen where they both think they are engaged to the same person was particularly amusing and exceptionally well played out.

Jennie Dunn as Lady Bracknell, the tour de force of the piece, was simply splendid and hilariously dominated her time on stage with her commanding voice and opinions, precise comic timing and facial expressions as Gwendolen’s mother and Algy’s fearful aunt.

As the Reverend Canon Chasuble, Josh Rawlinson-Smith looked and sounded every inch the parish cleric. Catherine Marie as the slightly dotty Miss Prism was great fun to watch especially in her bizarre explanation of leaving a baby in a handbag at Victoria Station, and both Erin Gailey and Tyler Smith gave very credible performances as the two butlers, Lane and Merriman.

For the second act of the play, the Garden at the Manor House in Woolton, the two upstage doors had been cleverly hidden by attractive trellises with colourful flowers and foliage. The first act furniture had been replaced with an ornate white cast iron garden table and matching chairs on the right of the stage and a garden bench on the left.

And for the third and concluding act, the Drawing Room at the Manor House in Woolton,  the initial act one room set had been modified using a white curtained area to disguise the right-hand door. The chaise longue was still on show, now on the right with an armchair on the left and a desk up centre.

To enhance the overall staging of the play, the lighting had been carefully plotted and worked well as did the music chosen for the introduction to each act and background piano playing, all efficiently operated by Meg Williams.

The costumes too were all of excellent quality, the designs and colours all perfectly in Victorian vogue and providing exactly the right and attractive look to the production by an obviously very proficient wardrobe team of Jennie Dunn, Grace Jackson and Lisa Palmer. Lisa was also responsible for the design of the excellent set and together with Callum Jinks, managed the props and furniture. The stage too was managed with great efficiency by Tash Compton assisted by Callum Jinks and Tyler Smith as stage crew.

But my final comments, and probably the most important, must go to Director, Callum Jinks and his assistant, Meg Williams, for their talent and sheer professionalism in staging this production to such a high level of theatrical excellence.

Thank you so much for your hospitality and warm welcome. I’m already looking forward to visiting you again for ‘How The Other Half Loves’ in July and for your annual pantomime ‘Alice In Wonderland’ at the start of 2027.

Chris C Bell
Regional Representative
NODA West Midlands District 2

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