by Diana Miranda

Delightfully ludicrous, The Importance of Being Earnest under Mark Beer’s direction captures the sarcastic humour so well-embedded in Wilde’s satire. Through spot-on characterisation, strong performances and a detailed set, this fringe show takes us on a time-travelling ride to London’s 19th Century high-tea culture, where appearances are of the utmost importance.

Best friends Algernon and Jack create imaginary relatives to avoid their family responsibilities. However, things get complicated when they plan to marry Gwendolen and Cecily. Lady Bracknell, Algernon’s forceful aunt, becomes part of the mix, bringing societal norms regarding family, respectability, and marriage into focus. As each character pursues their hidden agenda, they find themselves in absurd situations and engage in hilariously petty conversations, all while trying to bend the norms to their own benefit.

The ensemble is a joy to watch, and each performer is exquisite in their own way. The cast is made up of Georgie Rodgers as Cecily, Jack Reilly as Algernon, Connor Charlesworth as John/Ernest, Helen Walling-Richards as Miss Prism, Kat Dulfeer as Gwendolen, Matt Kelly as Dr. Chasuble, Harrison Tsantakis as Lane & Merriman, and Mark Beer as Lady Bracknell.

While there are occasional hiccups in line delivery by some of the performers, the piece remains charmingly entertaining. Together, the ensemble evokes the nineteenth-century high society microcosm, in which the slightest gesture is premeditated to convey ulterior messages. The characters’ self-indulgence, absurd behaviour and praise of individuals who “have nothing but look everything” are brought to the forefront with great comic timing, exaggeration, and elegant mockery.

Dramaiocht Productions’ interpretation features Lady Bracknell, the unforgiving aristocrat, as a person with a visible disability. Wilde’s Lady Bracknell embodies societal conventions, and she diligently urges those around her to comply with what she perceives as meaningful aspects of status, no-questions-asked. Thus, her representation as a person with a visible disability layers her dry and ableist remarks regarding illness, making the character’s underscore all the more complex.

The Victorian backdrop is skillfully conjured thanks to the show’s set and costume designs, from morning rooms and lavish attires, to embellished rose gardens and delicate tea sets. The thoughtful lighting design aims to punctuate climatic and emotional moments, but continuous changes and occasional detours into dreamlike atmospheres – intense washes and piercing spotlights – seem intrusive in the otherwise realistic narrative, distracting from the storytelling rather than complementing it. However, the engaging performances and meticulously crafted Victorian atmosphere create a delightful portrait of the days of yore while laying bare the hypocrisy in high-society manners.

Dramaiocht Productions is a recently established, all-inclusive theatre company whose goal is to stage both classic and contemporary works, and platform theatre makers regardless of disability, race or gender. Thier approach to The Importance of Being Earnest takes a tried-and-true play and creates a thoroughly enjoyable experience for those looking to dip their toes into one of Wilde’s most popular pieces about London’s Victorian aristocracy.

The Importance of Being Earnest runs through 7 October.

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