REVIEW: Oscar Wilde's THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST Comes Up Short Despite Sydney Theatre Company's Bold Aesthetic

Saturday 9th September 2023, 7:30pm, Roslyn Packer Theatre

The comedy of Oscar Wilde’s THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST loses power with a performance that fails to trust the source material.  Known for staging productions of popular farcical comedies, Director Sarah Giles misses the mark with her latest production that resorts to visual distraction to hide the mistiming of the dialogue. 

Oscar Wilde’s THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST is well known, having premiered at St James Theatre, London on Valentines Day 1895 with numerous stage productions, ‘made for television’ versions, audio plays and at least three film adaptations.  Because of this, many audiences would already be familiar with Wilde’s farcical tale of two bachelors that get caught out using fictitious personae to escape social obligations in order to woo two young women that are more interested in their suitor’s name rather than who they really are.  This prior knowledge of the text means that the timing of the delivery needs to land well for the work to retain its impact for the familiar. 

While Sarah Giles has gathered some strong comic performers, they havent been allowed to intuitively respond to the work leading to often stilted, staid, contrived and over directed performances that lessen the impact of the text.  Of the core characters, only Brandon McClelland as John Worthing manages to consistently deliver a performance that lands the comic timing perfectly while delivering a character that has a sense of realism beneath the absurdity of the story.  McClelland makes his portrayal of Worthing feel instinctive and natural.  The minor characters of Miss Prism, presented by Lucia Mastrantone, and the Rev Canon Chasuble, presented by Bruce Spence, are equally natural and innate while having a fabulous physical comedy and perfect pacing.  The background performances by the largely silent staff at Algernon’s apartment building and Worthing’s country estate add a comedy relief while also adding an extra layer of social commentary to the work. 

Also of note is Charles Davis’ impressive set that shows both the antics of the upper classes but also the ‘below stairs’ servants.  Three quarters of the stage is initially dedicated to the Algernon’s Half Moon Street flat with the remaining quarter showing a cramped kitchen that serves the flats of the converted London mansion.  For Act 2, the space is converted to represent Worthing’s Woolton Manor House, with the garden created with amusing fashion and later shifted to take the story inside to the Drawing Room while the servant’s space is changed to reflect the sparse accommodations afforded Worthing’s butler.

Renée Mulder’s costume design plays up the Victorian styles with a contemporary twist with a detour via 1980’s fashion.  Corsets, bustles and puffed sleeves dominate for the women while Algernon’s status as an idle bachelor is reinforced with his suit that looks like something off the absurd runway fashions of the French fashion houses.  Worthing’s position as more sensible adult, at least appearing to have some responsibilities, is conveyed by his more traditional style of suit though the colors are kept bold. 

While somewhat of a visual spectacle, this interpretation of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST needs to let the performers follow their instincts more and trust the source material to feel the full weight of Wilde’s genius. 

 

 

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