Darlington Hippodrome – until 11 March 2025
5*****
The joy of being a reviewer is you get to see some amazing shows, but every so often one comes along that has you spending the interval wondering where and when you can see it again
…Earnest by the theatre company Say It Again, Sorry? is one such show. If you are an Oscar Wilde purist, then this might not be your thing. But if you are fan of The Play That Goes Wrong, then this one’s for you
Entering the auditorium, the music should give it away, modern day songs played by a chamber orchestra very Bridgerton style. And the show begins with Algernon aka Terry (Guido Garcia Lueches) playing “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk on the piano. Algernon and Butler Lane aka Graham (Rhys Tees) proudly project the arrival of Jack Worthing (our hero Ernest) but George (Ashley Cavender), the actor playing him, is missing and so are the actors playing Miss Prism and Reverend Chasuble. Director Simon Slough (Josh Haberfield) jumps on stage to try and explain what is happening and so begins just under two hours of perfect madness
Lady Bracknell aka Eleanor (Judith Amsenga) loses her voice, Gwendoline aka Jennifer (Trynity Silk) gets hammered on real whisky and the actress playing Cecily gets another offer to play Hermione in Harry Potter on Ice, fresh from her triumph in Celebrity Dancing on Ice South Africa.
All of the parts slowly get recast with members of the audience, tonight (and I apologise if I missed your name, but I was too busy laughing) but we had the wonderful Marta as our Ernest for the night. Most of the roles were gender swapped, with men now playing Gwendoline, Cecily, Lady Bracknell and Miss Prism and women playing Ernest, the Reverend and, after a bike accident, Algernon.
The second part of the show is played almost entirely by the brave and wonderful audience members.
The star of the show, undoubtedly is Stagehand Josh (Ben Mann), who must be exhausted keeping on top of all the prompts, movements, props and selling his wares in the interval (thank you for my wonderful tote bag – I love it).
I can not tell you how hilariously funny this show is. And you are guaranteed a different show every single night. But don’t take my word for it – get along to see one of the shows on tour and then thank me later