The Importance of Being Earnest

Yalin Ozucelik and Nathan O’Keefe. Image by Shane Reid. 

Oscar Wilde’s genius and Nathan O’Keefe’s exuberant performance are the highlights of Geordie Brookman’s new production ofThe Importance of Being Earnest for the State Theatre Company of South Australia. Wilde’s classic farcical comedy has been staged countless times and Brookman’s occasional attempts to distinguish this production generally falter however the strength of the text and a good lead performance are enough to make this witty satire on Victorian social mores an entertaining and enjoyable night of theatre.

The plot is simple, but twisted. Set in 1895 the play explores the comic complications that arise when two gentleman create fictional personae to avoid unwanted social obligations. Mischievous playboy bachelor Algernon Moncrieff (Nathan O’ Keefe) escapes London under the guise of visiting a sick friend Bunbury. Over cucumber sandwiches one day Algernon discovers that his friend Ernest Worthing (Yalin Ozucelik) is actually Jack Worthing, a responsible rural estate owner with a young ward named Cecily (Lucy Fry), who created, and impersonates, an irresponsible brother named Ernest as a pretence for escaping country life. Ernest has fallen for Algernon’s cousin Gwendolen (Anna Steen) much to the displeasure of the virago that is her mother, Lady Bracknell (Nancye Hayes). Add to this mixture a country vicar (Rory Walker), a tutor with a past Miss Prism (Caroline Mignone) and the contents of a locker at a major London Railway station and you have a delightful farce.

For this production the Playhouse stage is reduced to a simple wrap around set featuring a circular Rosewood floor, resembling a tabletop, surrounded by a curtain that at times acts as a backdrop and at other times is pulled around upstage to screen the set allowing for a scene change. The rose garden curtain, decorated with hundreds of three-dimensional fake pink and red roses, should have been impressive but look untidy and overly fake. The sofa in Act One is absurdly small resulting in the actors almost sitting on each other; perhaps deliberately, but without obvious reason or benefit. Upstage lighting from behind the back drip curtain was visible from the stalls and proved distracting at times.

O’Keefe embraces the role of Algernon Moncrieff and delivers an excellent performance. His ability to add physical humour to the role without reducing his character to caricature or at the expense of the precise dialogue is admirable. Scenes with him soar; scenes without him plateau or falter. O’Keefe handles Wilde’s famously witty dialogue with the most success. With the added exception of Rory Walker, the cast, perhaps conscious of the familiarity of some of the classic witticisms they are delivering, struggle to deliver these lines without disrupting the natural progression of a scene; often it seems as if the actors are disengaged with the events on stage, simply watching and waiting for their cue to deliver a famous quip, therefore diminishing the chances of it being genuinely convincing and amusing.

As Lady Bracknell, Nancye Hayes is unfortunately overshadowed by Ailsa Paterson’s outrageously flamboyant costuming, and despite having some of the best quips her version of Bracknell lacks impact. Lucy Fry’s performance as Cecily is unconvincing and her constant, hammy grimacing grated.

There is a nasty edge to this production that seems unsuited to the upbeat spirit of the story. Despite the play not requiring such emotion, almost all of the characters are, without justification, abrupt and aggressively dismissive when conversing with the butler. Also, despite the play requiring them to be the very good friends there is little discernible chumminess between Algernon and Jack and any animosity between them is exaggerated. Gwendolyn is portrayed as an overtly sexually charged animal instead of being simply a woman in love and when Cecily and Gwendolen engage in a Jerry Springer-esque cake fight that is neither Wildean nor credible, grave-turning is almost audible.

Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

The Importance of Being Earnest

Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra ACT: 19 – 23 August    
Geelong Performing Arts Centre, Geelong VIC: 28 – 30 August    
Illawara Performing Arts Centre, Wollongong NSW: 2 – 6 September