Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Geraint R Williams, Cameron Steen, George Trier, Geraldine Moloney Judge, Josephine Dalton, Lily Almond, Vicky Lodge, Nigel Goodwin.
It is all about being true to yourself, even when pretending to be someone else; if you can master that illusion then those around you will only see what you wish them to see, they will see the truth in the elaborate pretence and relish the opportunity to feel the sincere and intense emotions that it brings up; there is nothing better than understanding The Importance of Being Earnest as being part of life’s beautiful farce.
Oscar Wilde may be divisive, there are just as many theatre lovers who find the works laborious and lacking anything meaningful as there are those who sit in wonder at the word play of a misunderstood genius; of course it doesn’t matter which camp you belong, the plays, especially The Importance of Being Earnest, can still be seen as socially relevant today as they were when they were written.
It is not the relevance of class that holds the piece up for an ideal 21st Century piece of theatre, the night out in the shadows and greasepaint, it is the poignancy of awareness that for many of us today, we struggle to understand to know who we are, our role in society is blurred, our name, that one true identifying factor, is driven out by some who just wish us to be numbers on a piece of paper; we are all earnest at the end of the day, we are all muddling along in the hope that someone will give us the great reveal of what our lives are meant to mean.
Brimstone Theatre’s The Importance of Being Earnest, is a production which carries that heartfelt cry of searching faith and delivered conviction; to carry off Oscar Wilde’s works takes courage; in the wrong hands it can sour as quickly as a saucer of milk left in the sun, with precise intonation, it comes across as fresh and beautifully handled.
The theatre space of The Black-E is one that doesn’t get the look in that others receive and yet for the boom of Wilde’s oratory and social misunderstandings, it works well and gives the play extra gravitas that might be lost in some places.
With the two male leads of Algernon Moncrief and John Worthing being performed exceedingly well by Cameron Steen and Geraint R Williams respectfully, the cry of being earnest is enjoyable, witty and given a life that many would find hard to keep up with, the interplay, the verbal sparring snappy and dominant and for all involved in the production, it justified putting on such a great play by one of the finest in the last 150 years, one that has not lost any sparkle or ferociousness of candour.
Brimstone Theatre’s The Importance of Being Earnest is a subtle and well crafted nod to the work of Oscar Wilde, one of intelligent design and humour.
Ian D. Hall