★★★★★ Th' Importance of Bein' Earnest
Luke Adamson and Toby Hampton’s production Th' Importance of
Bein' Earnest, a smart reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s classic, is, without doubt,
a tour de force triumph and joy.
Quoting the production’s blurb, ‘everyone's favourite classic
comedy relocates the action from Victorian London to a Yorkshire Council
estate. The muscularity of the Yorkshire accent breathes new life into those
famous lines, and the reconfigured social structure offers a brand new
examination of class. Gone are the starched collars and cups of tea; in are the
Leeds United football shirts and cans of Stella.’
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Luke Adamson as Algernon & Joshua Welch as Jack |
With the immortal words ‘a handbag’ from the 1952 film
production of The Importance of Being Earnest, Dame Edith Evan stamped this
quote firmly onto the British psyche, albeit many would have no idea of its
exact provenance. All that doesn’t matter in this new version, which is stuff
full of genuinely brilliantly funny moments and fabulous farce, as the piece is
exquisitely transported up north.
Tea at the Ritz will never be quite the same as cucumber
sandwiches become a euphemism for cocaine and likewise, bread and butter
becomes a joint – all such spiffing fun, and to the ultimate credit of this
wonderfully tight-knit ensemble.
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Millie Gaston as Cecily & Heather Dutton as Gwendolen |
Luke Adamson as Algernon and Joshua Welch as Jack are a complete
joy to behold and their performances are captivating, fascinating and full of
undoubted originality. Heather Dutton as Gwendolen and Millie Gaston as Cecily
both add tremendous humour and inventiveness into their roles, while Kitty
Martin’s Lady Bracknell is gloriously class-conscious, not least when she
exercises a Glasgow-hello with real aplomb and individual style – pure comedy
genius!
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Kitty Martin as Lady Bracknell |
Th' Importance of Bein' Earnest is a shamelessly clever,
original and inventive reimagining of an Oscar Wilde classic, which he would
most certainly endorse - no doubt commending to the hoi polloi with all
alacrity too.
Photography by Cam Harle
Drayton Arms Theatre
153 Old Brompton Road
London, SW5 0LJ
Tuesday February 5 – Saturday February 23
Time 7:30pm Tuesday to Saturday evenings.
Tickets £14 - £16
Box office 020 7835 2301 and online at
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