Writes Sid E. (L6th)
On the eve of Wednesday the 3rd of December, English Literature students in the Sixth Form attended the 7pm showing of The Importance of Being Earnest at the Noel Coward Theatre.
The theatre itself was a stunningly picturesque building, embodying the essence of Edwardian theatre with its velvet clad seats and refinement. The Importance of Being Earnest is a classic comedy, written by the flamboyant Oscar Wilde. It satirises the social conventions of Victorian society with absurd situations, witty dialogue and constant humour. The play can be seen to follow two young men, namely Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, who each can be seen to lead double lives. Jack can be seen to pretend to have a brother named ‘Ernest’, whilst Algernon tells of how he enjoys the activity of ‘Bunburying’, in which he creates imaginary friends, who are in fact him, to get out of other events. The story leads to them crossing paths unexpectedly with two different woman whom are both naturally and deeply attracted to the name Ernest, creating a number of hilarious misunderstandings.
The director, Max Webster, presented a classic but interesting take on the play. The creative vision of the play meshed almost perfectly with the casting choices to create an amazing production full of vitality and hilarity. Olly Alexander played Algernon, Nathan Stewart-Jarret played Jack, Kitty Hawthorne and Jessica Whitehurst played Gwendolen and Cecily respectively, Hugh Dennis played the vicar, and the infamous Stephen Fry played Lady Bracknell. All of the actors on the stage were absolutely terrific. Cecily was played with a hilariously aggressive tone, and Gwendolen with erotic passion. Olly Alexander embodied the classic smirk of Algernon and Nathan Stewart-Jarret seemed just as flustered as anyone might be in the situations Jack gets himself tangled in. Notably, the two major couples can be seen to almost interchange in this camp and celebratory interpretation of the classic story.
For me, Stephen Fry’s Lady Bracknell is a key standout of the production, with unmatched line delivery whenever his characters booming presence was on the stage. It was a pleasure to see him perform live.
The sets throughout were grand and portrayed the feeling of the story perfectly, and the chemistry between the actors was evident, showcasing the incredibly clever dialogue of Wilde to spring into life.Brief outbreaks of song and stunning costumes were jotted throughout the production, which was completed by an ending ceremony where the whole stage was dressed in butterflies, an apt choice for Wilde’s description of the play, as he says it was “written by a butterfly, for butterflies.”
As the production concluded, Stephen Fry spoke about the more sombre topic of HIV and it’s prevalence in society today; it was HIV Awareness Day on the 1st of December, just two days prior.
Overall I would highly recommend the production and thoroughly enjoyed it. I encourage anyone who has not seen or read The Importance of Being Earnest to go and do so, as it is an extremely well written and amusing story. Thanks to all involved!
