A Handbag?

It's good to get back into writing properly; after having a quiet February, I got back into the theatre world with seeing Hamilton (!!!) last week, and have now this week been catching something that couldn't be more different if it tried: Oscar Wilde's 1895 comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, which is currently touring the country with the Original Theatre Company.
I guess it seems a good time for Wilde at the moment, as another of his works, Lady Windermere's Fan is currently playing in London, starring Jennifer Saunders.

Having seen the film version, starring Colin Firth, Rupert Everett and Judi Dench, I picked this out as not only because I hadn't seen it on stage, I couldn't actually remember what happened (!); plus, I knew this would be a good one to see with my Mum and Dad (who I see a lot with), and as a bonus, it starred West End favourite Kerry Ellis (Wonderland) in her first non-singing role.

For those of you who aren't familiar with this classic farce, it shows two friends trying to woo two different women, by both pretending to be named Earnest. And of course, chaos and hilarity ensues...!

I will say right off the bat that the show is in 3 acts, including 2 intervals (different huh?), and that it can come a little slow in places, particularly in the 1st act - in fact, I felt it didn't really get going until the 2nd act.
The biggest crux though I believe was firstly that it was dated (although it is hard with a piece like this to make it more relevant to modern audiences), and secondly that some characters were overplayed while others simultaneously were being underplayed (one of whom unfortunately being Gwen Taylor's Lady Bracknell, who lacked authoritative presence for me).
However, the Wilde's writing still brings many a laugh, whether that be from a muffin fight, or the confrontation scenes. I must also mention the direction for a rather suggestive way to sit on a garden swing seat alone....!

As for Kerry, Gwendolen Fairfax is a fair break away from the roles she usually plays; that is until the scenes when Algernon and Jack's "dirty little secrets" are being exposed, when she starts to become, shall we say, narked.

This is an odd one, as I have to be honest, I am not a big fan of farces (I found that out when I saw Anything Goes), so for one to stand out for me, it has to really push the boat out: and Earnest didn't really do that for me. If you think this could be your cup of tea, you could check it out - or perhaps the film? However, if you're like me, I would possibly pass this one; it's a good laugh, but it wouldn't kill you not to miss it.