THE IMPORTANCE OF
BEING EARNEST
Designed
by James Stokes, Creative Director, POPmedia Ltd, 01273
686986
www.popmedia.co.uk
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Venue:
The Scented Garden, St Ann's Well Gardens, Hove
Reviewer: Jan Melrose
Publication: The Argus
Oscar
Wilde would be proud. His timeless wit has the whole of St Ann's
Well Gardens in peals of laughter until the sun sets.
Some
of the more risqué jokes which can be lost on an inattentive
reader could not be missed as the actors executed the lines with
perfect comic timing.
Sarah Mann's performance as Lady Bracknell is superb. Her pompous
tone and bulging eyes are enough to silence any outspoken politician
let alone the pair of foppish dandies who prance around the gardens
in pink pin-striped blazers, cravats and smoking jackets.
As
I sip my glass of wine I wait for the moment when Mann's eyes will
finally pop out of her head, such is the energy she instils in the
character. Her moans and groans, whoops of delight and exclamations
of disapproval make her the ultimate matriarchal
dragon.
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I
am sure the residents of all the nearby flats won't miss her bellowing
the famous line, "a handbag", upon discovering the true
origins of her prospective son-in-law Earnest, or Jack as you may
know him, if you happen to be in the country.
The petty argument over Algernon's (Robert Maloney) fondness for
muffins and Cecily and Gwendolen's frosty exchange are scenes I
had been looking forward to and they do not disappoint. Gwendolen
(Stephanie Prince) tosses her hair and sticks her nose in the air
delightfully and Cecily (Lucinda Cowden) is the epitome of silliness.
Miss Prism and Reverend Chasuble's love affair ties the thing together
neatly.
By the end of the evening the audience leaves with a warm glow -
accounted for either by the numerous bottles of wine consumed or,
more likely, the satisfaction of seeing one of the greatest comic
plays brought to life with such talent and understanding.
