Inspired by The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Co-Writers: Simon Paris, Josh King and Say It Again, Sorry?
Director: Simon Paris
A very overdone performance of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is underway, when the Director interrupts the show to announce that the lead character, Earnest, has not arrived. He asks for a member of the audience to take on the role – the show must go on. After asking a series of questions, a member of the audience is chosen. This is the first of many such swaps and, by the end of the play, most of the performers on stage are members of the audience.
Whilst this premise – bringing the public onstage, dressing them in costume (the female characters mostly played by men and male by women) and having fun with their asides and attempts to perform – could be fun for an hour on the Fringe, sustaining it for two hours is a bit of a stretch. Add to the mix alcohol-spiked tea, wardrobe malfunctions, vomit and eating vomit-soaked muffins, and the predominant feel is of a pantomime/students’ end-of-term show. Fans of interactive, improvisational theatre will probably love it – the rest of us might not.
The six actors onstage (Josh Haberfield, Trynity Silk, Ben Mann, Judith Amsenga, Guido Garcia Lueches and Rhys Tees) all perform well and rise to the challenge of reacting to unpredictable audience members. One suspects that the choice of the stand-in performers is crucial – those with acting experience and knowledge of the play and its story are studiously avoided to maximise the farce.
Oscar Wilde it isn’t – don’t go expecting it. But if you love improv that borders on anarchic chaos, give it a try.
Runs until 21st May 2025, before continuing on tour
