The Importance of being Earnest

‘The Importance of being Earnest’ by Oscar Wilde, is being performed by the Class Act theatre Inc. group at Subiaco arts Centre in Hammersley Road, Subiaco. Last performance at 8.00 pm on Saturday 29^th August.

         Whenever the somewhat nervous and insecure Jack Worthing (Dan Luxton) announces that he is going to see his imaginary brother Ernest, he is in fact he going to visit the ravishing Gwendolyn (Rhoda Lopez). One day, the aristocratic, arrogant, lecherous and bullying Algy (Ben Russell) who also has trips away - to see Bunbury, another fictitious friend in the country – is awaiting a visit from his aunt, Lady Bracknell (Craig Williams).

         Jack, who is known in London as Ernest, gives his true love Gwendolyn his country address, that she may visit him. However, he is overheard by Algy who also notes the address, and decides to pay a ‘surprise’ visit. Here Algy meet’s Jack’s ward of court, Cecily Cardew (Whitney Richards). Cecily is looked after by a frumpy old maid, dressed in tweeds - her guardian, Miss Prism (Angelique Malcolm) who is truly a strict and miserable old bird, that is until she sees the Rev. Dr Chasuble (Stephen Lee), the elderly local minister whom she drools over like a teenager.

         To their horror, all the friends and relatives meet together and massive complications develop. The question is who, if anyone, will get to marry whom?

If I had a dollar for every person who has commented ‘Oh not Earnest again!’ I would be a rich man. So, to be truthful I was semi reluctant to go and see this play yet again. I dragged myself along and thank goodness, I did, as this was easily the best of the dozens that I have seen. Besides the fabulous costumes (tour manager Glynis Best), the script was delivered with perfect pace and timing. The last time I saw Lady Bracknell played in drag was by professional comedians, Hinge and Brackett about 15 years ago. They were funny, but this band of jesters had the audience laughing aloud for the whole two and a half hours.

Craig was superb as Bracknell; in the style of Alastair Sim, he was hilarious as the threatening and gruesome Aunt. It was so surprising to see such talented Shakespearean actors, as Dan Luxton and Angelique Malcolm, being so truly gifted in comedy. Dan and Ben Russell (who has had an amazing year) performed a brief soft shoe shuffle, which was a delight.

Rhoda Lopez, renowned for her beautiful singing voice, was most at home with her aristocratic accent and hilarious part. Whitney who was superb as Hamlet’s Ophelia, here went through a 180 degrees to give another brilliant performance as the naïve and stubborn Cecily.

Even though it is more than 50 years since Dame Edith Evans uttered ‘a handbag’, audiences wait for the line in anticipation, and invariably are disappointed. In this production, Lady Bracknell, with a sour face, held the audience for what seemed minutes as she fiddled with her accoutrements in total silence, and then delivered the line most successfully with a quietly dismissive gasp of ‘a handbag!’.

One of the funniest classic shows I have seen in years, with a magnificent cast, that worked fabulously as a team. See it twice! Worthy of an Oscar.