The Importance of Being Earnest

Oscar Wilde’s much loved and brilliantly witty masterpiece comes to the Wyvern

 

Wyvern Theatre, Swindon

Tuesday 27 - Saturday 31 October 2015

 

The Importance of Being Earnest is known to elegantly lampoon the hypocrisies of a Victorian society and opens as two bachelors, the dependable John Worthing, J.P. and upper class playboy Algernon Moncrieff, feel compelled to create different identities in order to pursue two eligible ladies Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax. The hilarious misadventures which result from their subterfuge; their brushes with the redoubtable Lady Bracknell and the uptight Miss Prism result in a plot that twists and fizzles with some of the finest dialogue to be found in theatre.

 

Rosalind Ayres, Nigel Havers, Martin Jarvis, Christine Kavanagh and Siân Phillips will be reprising their West End performances, and are joined by Nigel Anthony, Carmen du Sautoy and David Shaw-Parker, performing as The Bunbury Company of Players.

 

Tickets: £22.00 - £30.50

 

Review of The Importance of Being Earnest

by Kelly Jobanputra

 

It was nearly a full house but having never seen The Importance of Being Earnest, I had no idea what to expect when I saw this Oscar Wilde classic at the Wyvern Theatre on Tuesday (27th Oct).

The Bunbury Company of Players were behind this so called 'Trivial Comedy for Serious People' and the atmosphere was buzzing before anyone even set foot on the stage.

A regular on the Wyvern's stage, Nigel Havers, was welcomed back with much laughter and applause every time his lines dictated it and his cheeky character called Algernon was a highlight of the play.

Another actor that really stood out was Martin Jarvis, who played the part of John Worthing. His on stage presence was mesmerising, amusing and enchanting all rolled into one.

The set of the play was especially impressive and made the Wyvern's stage look much bigger than it usually does. You were really pulled into the house with all its finery and the idea of the often mentioned yet never arriving cucumber sandwiches really would have fitted right into the afternoon tea style atmosphere of the performance.

A good test of an entertaining play is how quickly it seems to fly by and this show felt like it was over way too soon (even with an extended interval due to a medical situation in the audience).

It left you wanting more whilst also leaving you satisfied that you had a good evening's entertainment.