The National Theatre's updated version of Oscar Wilde's perfect comedy comes to the West End with a stellar cast. Old-fashioned footlights are set along the stage apron, but this is far from a traditional presentation of the work. Director Max Webster gives Wilde's masterpiece the Moulin Rouge treatment. A fantastically camp opening montage is followed by a production that, while respecting the basics of Wilde's play, frequently breaks the fourth wall. In addition, it has broad Vaudevillian mugging, actors humming contemporary pop tunes, and blatant sexual gesturing and innuendo. Parts of the original script are also rewritten, and lots of homoerotic business is added, which is probably intended to highlight the play’s undertones and to undermine the conventional heterosexual romances with which the work ends. Although Wilde had a complicated and ambiguous relationship with society and social norms, his own life, like his play, ostensibly conformed to both social dictates and the conventions of comedy. The original play, which ironically or provocatively has a standard comic ending, can be read as affirming traditional values even while they are mocked throughout. In Webster's version, however, Wilde's contradictory posture is lost, and his troubled ambiguity about meeting social and dramatic norms is resolved. The director's message is explicit, as he exposes all the supposed subtext. This interpretation is both a popularisation and a simplification that may please many contemporary viewers but which will probably infuriate purists. Despite such debatable production choices, what does stand out is the quality of the performances. Stephen Fry is a formidable Lady Bracknell and there's no doubt that he gives the evening’s most memorable performance. Olly Alexander as Algernon is as outrageous as his costuming, and he effectively plays against Nathan Stewart-Jarrett's Jack Worthing. Kitty Hawthorne brings a brazenly lascivious interpretation to Gwendolen, while Jessica Whitehurst is a nicely prim Cecily. It is unclear why on some occasions, their dialogues are overridden by distracting stage business. Hugh Dennis entirely disappears into his role as the Reverend Canon Chasuble and is wonderfully doddery. This interpretation of The Importance of Being Earnest may be controversial for some, but it will definitely be a delight for others.
Rated: ★★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Marc Brenner
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