A HANDBAG HEAVY WITH HUMOUR

The Importance of Being Earnest

The OFFSTAGE Theatre Group

Top O’ The Green House, Frampton on Severn
14th July 2007

Muffins at ten paces, stylish period costumes, some of the most famous lines in English literature and a large quantity of sugar cubes – there were some delightfully amusing moments in this engaging production of Oscar Wilde’s celebrated comedy of manners.

The OFFSTAGE Group are indeed aptly named, for none of their productions I have seen to date has taken place anywhere else. Last night was no exception as I watched enchanted from the perimeter of a well-kept country house garden on the banks of the Severn, and beneath a beautiful golden evening sky. Singularly appropriate, methought, seeing that most of the play’s original setting is the Manor House in Hertfordshire.
Director Kim Jones extracted all the moral idiosyncrasies of late-Victorian England, as seen through Wilde’s irreverent gaze, where nothing, it seems, was permissible without the consent of an ageing upper-class battleaxe, in this case the fire-breathing monstrosity that is Lady Augusta Bracknell. Jean Skinner unpacked all the cantankerous snobbery of this formidable harridan, spitting contempt at anyone below the rank of stockbroker, as she swept imperiously through each scene.

She was ably supported by a robust cast, including Chris Smith as the equally grandiloquent Miss Prism, who almost outflanked (sorry, “ite-flenked”) the infamous aunt for haughtiness and strength of character. That is, when she wasn’t distracted by the attentions of chumpish cleric Canon Chasuble, hilariously played by Bob Roberts, shuffling around in a manner akin to a leering Alistair Sim. Grinning inanely, each of his twisted expressions was a joy to behold, as he stole every one of his few scenes. Liz Hosler played the virginal and demure Cecily Cardew with considerable poise, charm and not a little wide-eyed sparkle, and Kim Jones herself impressed as the gracefully hoity-toity Gwendolen Fairfax.

Even the servants scored points with their comic timing and mannerisms, especially Ian Kubiak as the drolly phlegmatic and deadpan Lane. The best moments, however, were left to sparring partners Algernon Moncrieff (Barnaby Eaton-Jones) and Jack Worthing (Keith Patrick), who ensured that the mercury count on the thermometer remained high throughout, reaching heatwave level at the end of the second act when Algernon’s unscheduled skid prompted one of the most excruciatingly funny sequences of corpsing and ad-libbing I have ever seen, and justified the admission price on its own.

Hugely enjoyable, this was an Earnest where the importance was on a readiness to laugh – and we all did.

Simon Lewis for BBC Radio Gloucestershire Theatre & Arts

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