Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford – until 3 February 2018. Reviewed by Heather Chalkley.
3***
The Importance of Being Earnest by the master of comedy Oscar Wilde, starts its new UK tour in Guildford in this classic revival from The Original Theatre Company.
Jack wishes to marry Algernon’s cousin the beautiful Gwendolen but first he must convince her mother, the fearsome Lady Bracknell, of the respectability of his parents and his past. For Jack, however, this is not as easy as it sounds, having started life abandoned in a handbag at Victoria station
The opening and two subsequent sets and props worked to good advantage. The scenery was grand without being distracting.
The costumes, by Gabriella Slade, reflected the period and characters well. Although, Cecily played by Louise Coulthard, had a slight problem with her dress catching on the garden chair more than once. I also found myself distracted by the large bustle worn by Gwen Taylor’s character Lady Bracknell, as it came very close to the tray of filled glasses on the low table.
All the actors maintained their characters throughout, if a little dully at times. They did have their moments. Lady Bracknell came alive when expressing her disgust at the thought of John Worthing marrying her daughter, which Gwen Taylor conveyed with a deep gravelly voice. The swing seat scene with Susan Penhaligon’s Miss Prism and Geoff Aymer’s Rev Canon Chasuble left no illusions as to their irreverent feelings for one another! Algernon, played by Thomas Howe, hiding from his Aunt behind Cecily in the final scene was a favourite moment. Simon Shackleton playing both Butlers and Hannah Louise Howell as the Maid stole the final laugh with her hug and his shocked look, then the book dropping to the floor. The Butler and Maids timing throughout was a hoot, providing unexpected background humour.
Peter Sandys-Clarke as Jack retained his ramrod straight back and Thomas Howe as Algernon his boyish mischievousness. Kerry Ellis is making her debut in her first non singing role and her portrayal of Gwendolyn was a believable character, whilst Louise Coulthard’s Cecily was a quirky caricature that really brought the play to life.
Key points in the plot felt like people being thrown into a room, rather than clever direction. There was a reaction but not the expected fireworks. The director Alastair Whatley’s timing of these events made the entrances clumsy. As a result the build up to the revelation of who Ernest and Ernest really were was greater than the reveal itself.
The satirical commentary on Victorian society throughout the script has necessarily lost some of its bite over the last century or so. Even so, “Earnest” is packed with so many wonderfully witty lines and farcical complications that it remains a delight no matter how many times one might have seen it or how recently. It’s a charmingly roguish play that enchants anew at every encounter and at this first show last night, The Importance of Being Earnest did finally show through giving us the happy ending Oscar Wilde intended.