There’s a handbag suspended in front of the curtain as we arrive in the Noel Coward Theatre for the West End transfer of The Importance of Being Earnest.
Last year, this adaptation was a hit across the Thames at the National Theatre. Now, completely recast, it takes up residence on the ‘fashionable side’ of town.
Olly Alexander’s Algernon is playing the piano as the curtain rises. In a vibrant pink ballgown, surrounded by cast members including something I never had on my theatre bingo card: Hugh Dennis in a dress.
The gender fluidity continues as Hayley Carmichael appears as a deeply laconic Lane, and of course, we wait with bated breath for Stephen Fry as Lady Bracknell.
Fry is not the first man to take on the role. David Suchet was a joy to watch, so was Brian Bedford (both captured on video for posterity). I hear Gyles Brandreth had a go, too, to some acclaim.
This production’s Lady B is a comic tour-de-force of reactions, pursued lips and Wagnerian tones. And yes, the handbag line gets the laugh it deserves. Fry’s height and voice works extremely well.
Alexander and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Jack) make a wonderful pairing as the pals in high society who get themselves in an awful tangle over the name of Ernest. Lively, cheeky, and impressive performances from both throughout.
Director Max Webster gives Oscar Wilde’s Victorian classic a proper shake, with a queer sheen and saucy style. He doesn’t stint the play ‘as is’, though. Every line of Wilde’s remains.
Kitty Hawthorne as Gwendolen is the first I’ve seen to shudder at ‘the country’, with a garden lawn causing her cause for concern. Her interest in Jack/Ernest is more than intense informality. It’s downright scary!
Jessica Whitehurst as Cecily is equally sex-starved, with her diary clearly containing her hot little fantasies. She also captures the steel of an independent girl throughout and her garden spar with Hawthorne is hilarious.
There are little gems dotted throughout this production, from naughty contemporary nods, stolen looks, and audience nods to the gloriously OTT stage bows.
Hugh Dennis (Dr Chasuble) and Shobna Gulati (Miss Prism) get caught up in their metaphors, while Carmichael’s doddery Merriman is a cause for merriment (could I resist that one?).
Rae Smith‘s stunning sets, placed in a fake prosenium and folding into Algy’s rooms and Jack’s country house, hint at the men’s personalities. Many mirrors for vanity; large statues for ‘a high moral tone’.
Even if you’ve seen many Earnests before, you will hopefully find something new here. Those new to the play – I sensed a few last night – can connect with the timeless humour and enjoy a nod to the campness within.
This Importance of Being Earnest is far from being left behind ‘in the cloakroom at Victoria Station’. It’s shimmying and shaking its booty all over the West End stage, and I have to say is ‘bravi’!
5 stars.
The Importance of Being Earnest continues at the Noel Coward Theatre – details and tickets here.
Image credit: Marc Brenner