The Importance of Being Earnest – Lyttelton, National Theatre – Tuesday 31st December 2024

(Rated 7/5) To say the National Theatre’s production of ‘The Importance of Bein Earnest’ does Oscar Wilde proud is almost an understatement! It’s the loudest, proudest, pinkest, campest (yet in the necessary moderation to ensure it not being OTT, and so losing the audience) exhibition of all his themes and ideas in his final play that could possibly be produced. However brave Oscar was himself in ‘inferring what could not be stated directly’ in ‘coded references’ and ‘linguistic playfulness’, the actors here shouted it to the heavens! And I’m certain he could hear… and also see his characters in their brightest gloriousness!

On entering the auditorium, you are faced with the infamous black HAND-BAG (see Lady Bracknell later) hanging outside a gorgeous red velvet curtain. Just before the play starts, someone extricates the bag, and off we go…

The performance opens with Ncuti Gatwa as Algernon Moncrieff in a screaming pink corseted dress at a piano. There were screeches of delight and laughter as he played, beaming his pearly whites at us, then being caught out as the piano continues to play without him. Ncuti had us all in the palms of his hands straight away! He and the rest of the cast give us a stunning Burlesque-style opening number with the freedom of expression Oscar sadly never had. That, and the flamboyant curtain call are the best tribute to a man, who deserved so much happiness and joy, we feel he sadly never had. It felt like giving him the best posthumous present to perform his work as we can only imagine he might have wanted it.

AND, however much the play itself sends up Victorian Society, this performance of it takes that sending-up to the next level. As Dad said, they couldn’t have done more and all lines were delivered to perfection. Excellent interactions too as they all bounced off each other with Oscar’s witty, exquisite dialogue. I believe the most famous character in this play is Lady Bracknell – here played by Sharon D. Clarke. She is simply stunning with fabulous Afro-Caribbean costumes and mannerisms. Yep, as Hugh Skinner as Jack Worthing tells her he was found in a handbag, we wait with baited breath to see how she will give us her reaction along with that word! Of course, such a class act cannot disappoint, she looks away – taking her time – then turns back, and ‘A HAND-BAG???!!!’ Exuberant applause! I’ve seen Sharon before in ‘Caroline, Or Change’ – she has such a special singing voice too.

I am jumping around all over the place – actually a little like the play itself – not that it’s not well-structured – it’s brilliantly so – but there is so much energy to it and so fast-paced, as is Ncuti especially in his embodiment of the multi-faceted Algernon, and his changes of costume/persona! Such fun to watch! Maybe not as many as 15 regenerations (see what I did there), but close! 😉

Everybody is excellent, and lovely to see Hugh Skinner again – I so enjoyed his performance as the young version of Colin Firth in ‘Mamma Mia 2’. In this play, Wilde gives us so much fun yet serious comment on how people of the time (Victorian), but also of other times, find ways to live double (or even multiple) lives to cope with the challenges they face maybe trying to conform to what is expected of them. Arguably never more so than in the times in which Wilde lived. But, of course, the mistaken-identities theme was used so often by Shakespeare in his comedies. People do joke that they all had the same plot – and in a way he did seem to over-use it. I would argue maybe Wilde adds more cleverness to the device.

Max Webster has thought of everything in directing this version so we can enjoy the full scope of Wilde’s work. The curtain itself and the handbag both also need shout-outs as they very-actively play such significant parts, even called-upon to do so by the human characters at times. And the sets -Rae Smith - are all in superb technicolour with ever so much detail in all cases. Costumes, sound and lighting also amazing and impress – of the time, but also incorporating other times.

On the surface the romantic interactions are ‘straight’ but the chemistry between Ncuti and Hugh and the dynamics of the ‘Earnest’ communications between Ronke Adekoluejo as Gwendolen Fairfax and Eliza Scanlen’s Cecily Cardew are so wonderfully gay and charismatic. They are all geniuses in their use of movement in addition to voice and facial expressions to convey the comedy and drama. Sharon’s Lady Bracknell reminds me a little of Judi Dench’s appearances as Elizabeth I in ‘Shakespeare in Love’ in their gloriousness, but briefness. In Judi’s case Oscar-worthy, and in Sharon’s definitely Olivier-worthy. BUT, I’d argue so were everybody else’s acting turns. Can they all get awards?!

Marvellously Magnificent and Jovially Joyful to the Nth degree!! ImportanceofBeingEarnest – Review by TheRestrictedReviewer © 2024