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Written
by
Oscar
Wilde
Directed
by Peter
Gill
Designed
by
William Dudley
Lighting
by
Stephen Wentworth
Sound
Design by
Mike Beer
Musical
Arrangement by
David Shrubsole
Lane
Maxwell Hutcheon
Algernon
William
Ellis
John
Worthing
Harry
Hadden-Paton
Lady
Bracknell
Penelope
Keith
Gwendolen
Fairfax
Daisy Haggard
Miss
Prism
Janet Henfrey
Cecily
Cardew
Rebecca Knight
Rev.
Canon
Chasuble
Tim Wylton
Merriman
Roger Swaine
Footmen
Gary Fairhall
&
George Turvey
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Vaudeville Theatre
31 January - 26 April 2008 |
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On Oscar
Wilde's death in 1900 one
journalist observed: "Nothing
he ever wrote has the strength
to endure". Yet, over a hundred
years later the audience at
the Vaudeville Theatre is
mumbling the lines under their
breath and laughing uproariously
at the wit and style of The
Importance of Being Earnest.
The play has endured because
as Max Beerbohm wrote after
the revival in 1902: "The
Characters speak a kind of
poetic nonsense... a horse-play
among words and ideas conducted
with poetic dignity." (Saturday
Review 18.01.1902)
Many of the topics discussed
resonate with modern audiences.
Not just the fundamentals
of life, death, love and marriage
but other political ideas
also. Lady Bracknell's line
about the misery of death
duties in Act III, reminds
one of the recent debacle
over inheritance tax. Cecily
refers to it as "agricultural
Depression" from which the
"aristocracy are suffering".
When Algernon explains that
his invalid friend, Bunberry,
was "exploded", Lady Bracknell
asks whether he was the 'victim
of some revolutionary outrage'.
In the late 19th Century,
London was a haven for political
refugees from vengeful regimes
all over Europe. London is
now more crowded than ever,
and the threat of terrorist
attack is pervasive.
The play has been performed
in so many different ways,
each trying to draw something
new from the script: With
all male casts (Bristol Old
Vic 2005); all black casts
Bloomsbury Theatre, London
1989); two men only (David
Woods, John Hough). All these
attempts being admirable but
the piece seems to work best
when performed as it was originally
intended. Director Peter Gill
does not try anything clever.
His staging simple, conventional
but appriopriate. This comments
apply to the design and lighting
also which are visually stunning-
particularly the sunset through
the windows in Act III.
The cast are supremely competent
and the result is a good evening's
entertainment. Penelope Keith
rules the stage with an iron
fist, the centre around which
the other characters orbit.
Her cool, calm approach works
better than the famous Edith
Evans performance in the 1952
film. Harry Hadden-Paton stands
out as a star comic-actor
in the making, which is an
achievement considering his
character, Jack, is the stooge
to Algernon's joker. His perfect
comic timing on the line "I
always told you my name was
Earnest" had the audience
in stitches. He was pathetically
hilarious during the muffin
fight with Algernon at the
end of Act II.
William Ellis as Algernon
took a bit of warming up,
but once on the boil he was
an admirable counterpart to
Hadden-Paton's Jack. Rebecca
Knight is an enchanting Cecily.
Her sweet voice chirps through
the theatre, full of colour
and nuance. Her brief soliloquy
to the audience about meeting
Algernon was perhaps the best
moment in the whole play:
" I have never met any really
naughty person before. I am
quite frightened that he will
look just like everyone else.
He does!" In contrast to this
innocent bird, is Daisy Haggard's
sexy, gravely voiced Gwendolen
who relishes telling Jack
that the name "Earnest" creates
"Vibrations" with a wicked
smile.
The supporting cast, particularly
Tim Wylton as Dr Chasuble,
managed to draw humour from
every possible source. Indeed
Peter Gill seems to have found
many little moments of comic
'business' since I first saw
this production in Richmond
in December. There was however,
one disappointing difference.
During that performance, the
dazzlingly beautiful understudy,
Olivia Glass, played the part
of Gwendolen with effortless
poise and grace. I couldn't
help wishing she were onstage
at the Vaudeville too. We
can only hope she gets another
opportunity to shine.
A. Douglas |
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