The Importance of Being Earnest ★★★★ National Theatre | Nov 21, 2024 - Jan 25, 2025


On entering the theatre one sees a Victorian proscenium arch and old-fashioned footlights which suggest we are in for a traditional presentation of Oscar Wilde's perfect comedy. That is not the case, however. Director Max Webster surprises us by giving the work the Moulin Rouge treatment. There is a fantastically camp opening montage which is followed by a production which, while respecting the basics of Wilde's play, frequently breaks the fourth wall, has some broad Vaudevillian mugging and has actors humming contemporary pop tunes. We also get lots of homoerotic business which is probably intended to bring out the undertones of the play and to undermine the simple coupling at the end of the work. Wilde had a complicated and ambiguous relationship with society and social norms. His life, like his play, ostensibly conforms to the dictates of society and the conventions of comedy, but he simultaneously delights in sending up bourgeois standards. The play which ironically, or provocatively, has a conventional ending might be read as affirming the values that it spends most of its time mocking. In Webster's version Wilde's contradictory posture is lost, and his troubled ambiguity about meeting social and dramatic norms is resolved. The director's message is explicit, if not blatant, as he also tries to respect the work. It is a popularisation and simplification that will no doubt please many members of today's audience, just as it will infuriate purists. Despite these debatable decisions of the production, however, what stands out is the high quality of the performances. Sharon D Clarke is a wonderfully formidable Lady Bracknell while Richard Cant as Reverend Canon Chasuble and Amanda Lawrence as Miss Prism are simply perfect. In their dialogues together, Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ as Gwendolen and Eliza Scanlen as Cecily are simply delightful, never missing a beat. And, as Algernon, Ncuti Gatwa is as outrageous as his costuming. The standout performance, however, has to be that of Hugh Skinner as Jack Worthing. Skinner manages to capture the essence of the dandy without constantly falling into camp. He delivers Wilde's epigrams with an aplomb that is adroit and articulate. This is an Importance of Being Earnest that will challenge some and delight others.

Rated: ★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo Marc Brenner

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