The Importance of Being Earnest – Burley Theatre

Overview

The first half of 2013 saw the world contract Gatsby fever as the literary classic received a visually stunning reinterpretation, and its lingering effects are clearly evident from the moment the audience enters Burley Theatre's latest production, The Importance of Being Earnest. The green light lending a haunting luminosity to the theatre and the modern melodies transplanting the timeless tale to the present parallel Gatsby, and director Brandon Martignago successfully rides this wave to present his own hilariously witty and visually excellent adaptation of this other famous text.

No expense has been spared to convey the ugly side of the supposedly beautiful upper classes of high society. The clashing pastel colours, garish astroturf and fake flowers that occupy our vision for the show's majority remind us of the faux beauty embodied in the upper echelons of society, and how we should not be seduced by its charade of sincerity. It is beautiful in an incredibly ugly way.

There is nothing ugly about the acting though. The Importance of Being Earnest is an inherently funny play but the cast takes the laughs to another level with their earnest (it had to pop up at some point in this review) portrayals and electric relationships. The interactions between Algernon Moncrieff (played by Kurt Phelan) and John Worthing (Michael Walley) are a laugh a minute, from Moncrieff's inability to discuss marriage to the duo's memorable muffin dispute. Their respective amorous relationships with the captivating Cecily Cardew (Katie McDonald) and flirtatious Gwendolen Fairfax (Paige Gardiner) are also very believable and consequently hilarious.

However, the show is stolen by the vibrant boisterousness of Lady Bracknell (Andrew Benson). The decision to cast a male as the infamous female seneschal of Victorian high culture lends her an added formidableness that is impossible to withdraw your attention from. Benson performs Bracknell with perfect timing and detail, to the point that even the most ambiguous of entrances draws a torrent of anticipated laughter.

What makes this production captivating is the abundance of energy that the cast radiates. Despite its modern refurbishment, the production cannot escape the staging difficulties of the dialogue-heavy script — it often becomes talking heads. Whilst this often leads to tiresome renditions of the play, this production avoids any potential lull thanks to the cast's exuberance, which transfers to the audience and animates them from beginning to end.

It truly finds the modern importance of being earnest.