Review: ...EARNEST?, Richmond Theatre

A play within a play is not a new concept, but Say It Again, Sorry’s ...Earnest? brings something quite new to the stage. Having come a long way since its premiere at Islington's Pleasance in 2019, the show follows a rather tortuous production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest which loses cast members one by one, only to replace them with unsuspecting members of the audience.

The audience is very much a character in its own right with an non-existant fourth wall, but each member of the company show remarkable agility in the show, adapting on the hoof to the ad-libbing and physical movements of their new team mates. 

The type of comedy, focused on slapstick and wordplay is reminscent of work by Mischief, but while Mischief's shows are choreographed to the most minute detail, Say It Again, Sorry’s focus is to plan what they can and take the rest on the chin. And it works, most of the time. It's intriguing to imagine how director Simon Paris deals with the infinite variety of possible senarios.

Josh Haberfield's Simon Slough, the exasperated director, takes on much of the grunt work; conversing with the audience, picking the new cast members and reacting in real time to whatever comes his way. He is a natural presence and puts everyone at ease, even when gently taking the mickey out of them.

Rhys Tees is endlessly versatile as Graham, forced to multi-role in impossible situations. Guido Garcia Leuches is very funny as Terry, an actor who cannot forget his blocking, no matter how ridiculous he looks. Judith Amsenga brings faux gravitas as Eleanor and Trynity Silk gets amusingly inebriated as Jennifer.

By its nature, no two shows are ever the same and it takes a huge leap of faith by the company to be able to handle whatever comes their way. Some audience participants thrown themselves into the roles with real commitment and aplomb, while others radiate awkwardness. Care is taken to avoid this second group, but their inclusion really can impact on the flow of the production. You never know what you are going to get.

And therein lies both the success and the problem with this show; I'm sure there are nights where even the things that don't work make the show even funnier, but the production I saw felt as though it outstayed its welcome. A stilted start made for an overlong first half and left the impression that a shorter run played straight-through would make for a tighter and sharper evening. Hammy acting is very funny, but only for a short time and loud off-stage dialogue often sounds overly forced and is not really necessary for the flow of the show.

... Earnest? is a clever concept with some really innovative and highly entertaining elements, played out by a talented company. It is easy to see how it has been a hit at the Edinburgh Festival for the last four years, but it feels like it needs a little more development on a larger stage before it might make it way towards the West End.

...Earnest? is at Richmond Theatre until 14 June

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