It’s a bit of a coup for Nottingham this, as Wednesday was the very first night for this all new adaptation, which intriguingly stars David Suchet (of Poirot fame) mischievously clad in Victorian schiffon as fearsome socialite Lady Bracknell.
What’s all this? Has Panto season come early? Well no, the cut glass delivery of Suchet hasn’t descended into luminous bloomers territory, though he can definitely work the bustle. There are however gags aplenty, as Suchet’s upper class society Gorgon is armed with some of the best lines in Oscar Wilde’s masterful work of wit and artifice, so fear not, this is more than just a celebrity cameo.
The two young gentlemen driving the farce, debonair idler Algernon ‘Algie’ Moncrieff (played by Philip Cumbus) and his honest country gent and straightman foil of a chum John Worthing (Michael Benz), are both played with refreshing warmth and youthful energy. Their sly use of pseudonyms, a practice so successful in their past escapades, becomes their hilarious undoing when they both manage to fall earnestly in love with women using the same alias.
The feeling of brightness and joy of the two flirting young couples was palpable, a far cry from some cooler film adaptions. Of particular note was young country beauty Cecily, played by Imogen Doel, full of wonder filled dreamy teenage opinion tempered by new found womanly ardour and flashes of impish wit. Her beau the rakish Algernon’s disbelief at his own emotional departure from calculating nonchalance perfectly captured.
In the upper class couple corner we have Algie's cousin, the delicously posh Gwendolen Fairfax, with whom the increasingly flustered John is smitten. Gwendolen radiates sophistication as well as signs of the same calculating skill as her formidable mother the Lady Bracknell, like mother like daughter eh? Careful now John.
The love entaglement twists across three sumptuous 1890s era sets, from the palatial chambers of Algie's London residence to the rose scented garden of John's leafy country estate. A garden in which Cecily's endearingly giddy biddy of a governess Miss Prism is regularly reduced to a rosy cheeked fluster by the attentions of their jovial country parson the Reverend Chasuble. There must be something in the air.
Behind his burgundy bosom David Suchet does a fine job in supporting an excellent array of shining talent here, with hats firmly tipped to the four endearing young lovers. His clear diction and clipped tones very much in keeping with the period and character rather than nodding to other performances of the role, good call.
This is a must for Oscar Wilde and Poirot fans alike, and worthy of the stand up applause it received as the cast are to a lady all excellent. If you can, enjoy it before it disappears off into the West End.
The Importance of Being Earnest plays at Nottingham's Theatre Royal until Saturday 16 May 2015
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