May 21, 2009
Set in the mysterious cloisters made famous by Draco’s Ferret Scene in Harry Potter, The Importance of Being Earnest is a home-grown production by New College MCR, hosted in the New College Grounds. If you didn’t already know Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest is an absurdly funny social satire of romance, mixed identities, and crammed full of delicious one-liners.
The play tells the story of two friends, the upstanding though double-lifed John and the pleasure-seeking Algie, who both invent invalid friends/brothers to make excuses for absence at social events, and in order to secure the young ladies they desire (who turn out to be very particular about their potential husband’s first names), they both end up pretending to be the same ‘Ernest Worthing’. It all leads to farcical, hilarious results.
Being a first-night production, the cast took a little time to warm up; as did the audience. A few unpolished line slips and missed cues here and there, but overall, the cast were top-form, and by the end, the audience were laughing unabashedly. The two leads were excellent, Olaf Davis as Ernest-cum-Jack, and Henry Venmore-Rowland in the self-indulgently immoral character of Algie, a personality trademark in Wilde’s work. All the characters border on caricatures; the two female leads, Gwendolyn and Cecily, were also superbly played (Sarah Rudebeck, MaryAnn Noonan), mocking the stereotypical female sensibilities with precocious style.
The role of Lady Bracknell (Sarah-Harris-Huemmert), however, deserves particular mention. Harris-Huemmert’s Lady Bracknell captured the shrill voice and the social stereotype perfectly, making the snide and hilarious snobbery of the character a highlight of the show. Gems of Oscar Wilde lines were delivered with aplomb, and constant mockery of society, fashions and the fearful references to ‘the radical papers’ and ‘the French Revolution’ completed the parody: “Never speak disrespectfully of society! Only those who cannot get in do that.”
Though by the end, the farce and conclusion began to drag a little, the performance itself was well-worth watching. Unafraid to be over-the-top, but never overracting, the casts’ own enjoyment of the production was infectious. The wit of Wilde’s writing was brought alive from the flatness of the page, the innuendo generously emphasised. With little stage touches, such as the physical mannerisms of the solicitors (York, Heister), or Casero’s accented and effortlessly funny Butler, the whole production succeeded in capturing the tone and wit of the play perfectly, complemented by the leafy, gothic environs of the college cloisters. One thing I would recommend for this garden show is that you take a warm coat; outdoor plays are always a delight, but the British Summer has no such guarantee.
The play tells the story of two friends, the upstanding though double-lifed John and the pleasure-seeking Algie, who both invent invalid friends/brothers to make excuses for absence at social events, and in order to secure the young ladies they desire (who turn out to be very particular about their potential husband’s first names), they both end up pretending to be the same ‘Ernest Worthing’. It all leads to farcical, hilarious results.
Being a first-night production, the cast took a little time to warm up; as did the audience. A few unpolished line slips and missed cues here and there, but overall, the cast were top-form, and by the end, the audience were laughing unabashedly. The two leads were excellent, Olaf Davis as Ernest-cum-Jack, and Henry Venmore-Rowland in the self-indulgently immoral character of Algie, a personality trademark in Wilde’s work. All the characters border on caricatures; the two female leads, Gwendolyn and Cecily, were also superbly played (Sarah Rudebeck, MaryAnn Noonan), mocking the stereotypical female sensibilities with precocious style.
The role of Lady Bracknell (Sarah-Harris-Huemmert), however, deserves particular mention. Harris-Huemmert’s Lady Bracknell captured the shrill voice and the social stereotype perfectly, making the snide and hilarious snobbery of the character a highlight of the show. Gems of Oscar Wilde lines were delivered with aplomb, and constant mockery of society, fashions and the fearful references to ‘the radical papers’ and ‘the French Revolution’ completed the parody: “Never speak disrespectfully of society! Only those who cannot get in do that.”
Though by the end, the farce and conclusion began to drag a little, the performance itself was well-worth watching. Unafraid to be over-the-top, but never overracting, the casts’ own enjoyment of the production was infectious. The wit of Wilde’s writing was brought alive from the flatness of the page, the innuendo generously emphasised. With little stage touches, such as the physical mannerisms of the solicitors (York, Heister), or Casero’s accented and effortlessly funny Butler, the whole production succeeded in capturing the tone and wit of the play perfectly, complemented by the leafy, gothic environs of the college cloisters. One thing I would recommend for this garden show is that you take a warm coat; outdoor plays are always a delight, but the British Summer has no such guarantee.