Posted by kluster on October 19, 2010
It is with a large degree of sheepishness that I admit to this being the first time I have taken in Oscar Wilde’s wildly famous stage play, The Importance of Being Earnest. So, it was with minimal amounts of trepidation and large degrees of expectation that I placed my virginal mind in the hands of Darlinghurst Theatre Company’s cast, hoping they would do justice to the classic and my first experience of this word-heavy, witty masterpiece.
Most already know the premise of this production. As such, I will not bore you with a lengthy synopsis. Just this: Algernon Moncrieff (Douglas Hansell) and Jack Worthing (Martin Harper) embark on a desperate bid to secure the affections of two attractive young ladies - the younger, naive Cecily Cardew (Adele Querol) and the more exotic, slightly manipulative Gwendolen Bracknell (Chantelle Jamieson) - by changing their name to Earnest. Hilarity ensues.
Director Nicholas Papademetriou stays true to the original text - you’d have to be a fool not to - and the DTC cast have done a fine job of doing justice to Wilde’s intelligent humour and fast-paced banter. There were few blunders during this opening-night performance but they were handled with professionalism and created minimal disruption.
The staging in this particular run has been fast-forwarded a few decades and re-set in the 1930s, a decision nicely complemented by Julia Young’s decadently minimalist, era-specific set design.
For those who've already been privy to performance a performance of the play, there is a freshness abounding to the DTC’s version that makes it worth the revisit. Besides, could one ever really tire of Wilde’s wit? For those, like us, who have not, this well-priced show provides the perfect opportunity to box tick.
the importance of being earnest, darlinghurst theatre company