“A beautiful and well-designed production that could do with a boost in energy and humour.”
When a classic play (or any text being adapted for that matter) has action revolving around mistaken or falsified identity, it begs a queer reading. ThinkComedy of Errors or Accidental Death of an Anarchist. Techniques of gender rearrangement are popular devices in the modern theatre. And EUTC’s The Importance of Being Earnest adds to that conversation.
Directed by El Mair, this is a beautiful production. Intricate fly systems elevate curtains that imitate windows and walls. These systems were complex but executed smoothly, revealing a delightful garden set once used. Bedlam Theatre offers a versatile space, so to have it utilised to such great effect is superb to see. The Set Team, led by Ava Tumblety and Tanya Molleson, should be very proud of their work.
To accompany these transitions, a live band (led by Musical Director Jasper Fuller) plays string renditions of Say My Name and The Mystery of Love (from Call Me By Your Name, a piece of lo-fi queer cinema that may have offered some inspiration for this production). These musical accompaniments were well-arranged and well-executed, adding a smooth, lo-fi vibe to the bookending of each act.
To top it off, Costume Design by Nhi Tran is absolutely exquisite. The pieces are time specific yet individualised enough to stand out and accompany the queered direction, including a repeated use of purple and yellow to indicate opposite factions that ultimately mix together in the end. This attention to detail through colour shows a deep understanding of the text. This was a true highlight of the show.
Lighting Design by Aaron Rashid and Sound Design by Atalanta Lewis added a serviceable amount of atmosphere to the piece, but occasionally struggled to add moments with the same impact as these other elements. However, altogether, the design elements make for a delightfully peaceful atmosphere, which helped pace this nearly three-hour production. Still, it is hard to say whether or not this peaceful atmosphere is entirely effective for the text at hand. This query was particularly evident in the direction and performances.
Mair’s direction seems acutely aware of the potential for comedy within Wilde’s text (after all, one-liners and chaos are present throughout). This is evident in the gender swapped core cast, which makes room for humorous exaggerations of particular types within the social conscious. And while laughter certainly occurred due to this, it never reached the heights which Wilde’s text indicates. Characters never truly let loose, as so many scenes indicate they should, and they lack the emphasis necessary to carry such a speech-ridden text. They seem to be calmed-down versions of what we expect from this text. Perhaps this was intended to accompany the more lo-fi aesthetics of the production, but this doesn’t entirely compliment the dialogue and action. Instead, performances seem more focused on creating accurate RP accents and social gestures, while never truly exaggerating them to a point of comic effect. What results are characters that aren’t quite believable, but aren’t quite unbelievable so to speak. There are still standouts in the cast. Namely, Tai Remus Elliot as Cecily Cardew, who was capable of exaggerating and restraining their performance to great comedic effect at times.
The core tenant of a text like this is unpredictability; Wilde’s plot revolves around a complex web of lies that mount overtime, yet it somehow works out in the end. Some more focus in the future on generating humorously unpredictable performances will push this production much further.
In the end, this is a beautiful, engaging and occasionally funny production of a classic play, with room to improve.
The Importance of Being Earnest runs until 14th March. Tickets are available here.