Review: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, The Golden Goose Theatre

What is in a name? Does changing our name change who we are? What about if we change our name as a way of separating yourself from the truth? Many questions the characters of The New Rep Theatre Co’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest have to ask themselves.

Reimagined to be set in modern day upper class society, playing on stereotypical boarding schoolboy humour, The Importance of Being Earnest tells of Algernon Moncrieff, a bachelor in his late 20s who has no intent of ever being married, and his equally as ‘educated’ Best Friend, Jack Worthing (or, as he is more commonly known, Ernest). 

When Jack falls for Algernon’s cousin, Gwendolen, under the false name of Ernest, Algernon takes matters into his own hands to meet (and inevitably fall for) Jack’s ward, Cecily. All under the fake name of… Ernest  - Jack’s brother who does not exist. Throw in a mother who wants the best for her daughter, a schoolteacher who has more to hide than meets the eye, a reverend with the charm to capture a village’s attention, and a butler who has enough pessimism in him to last a lifetime, and you’ve got the perfect combination for a laugh-out-loud comedic triumph.

It’s the classic motif of mismatched relationships, deceit, and… sitcoms? 

Breaking the fourth-wall and laugh tracks are no strangers in this production, setting the entire production inside of a television sitcom - even using voiceovers to call the cast and audience to and from set. An immersive touch that adds a new perspective to this play.

Directed beautifully by the company’s artistic director, David Knight, audience members struggled to keep their laughter in with this riot of a play. The unique take with the use of ‘stereotypical Chelsea boy’ aura was an incredibly clever point of view to set the play from - one I’ve not seen taken with a classical play before.

The lead roles Algernon and Jack are played by Kim Whatmore and Nathan Brocklebank, respectively. Whatmore was seen in the last production by the company, A Doll’s House, as the hysterical role of Dr Rank. His performance in their most recent play is nothing short of that. His physical humour and embodiment of the role was undeniably funny and really stood out. Whatmore and comedy go hand in hand - a bright career in the genre for sure. 

Brocklebank provides the other half of the ‘Ernest-duo’ as it were. From valid crash-outs, to perfectly timed one-liners, Brocklebank’s portrayal of Jack provided a rooted character amongst the chaos - someone audience members could truly root for. A brilliant performance indeed. This is his first show with the company, although he’s been part of the team since day one. I look forward to seeing what roles he plays in the future.

His chemistry and ability to bounce off of Whatmore flawlessly is a credit to them both. The added fact the pair have been real-life friends for years adds to the depth of the characters they play. From secret handshakes, to playing off of each other’s physical comedy, the pair acted as though the roles were created for them. 

Cecily Cardew is the 18-year-old adopted Niece of Jack, played stunningly by Annabel Bellew. Her youthful energy, and sarcastic wit, brought Cecily to life. Complete embodiment of the character was something Bellew has a great strength in. Definitely a performance that stood out for me. 

Matching Cecily in the ‘lovers of Ernest club’ is Gwendolen Fairfax, played by Zara Alleyne. This modernised version of Gwendolen is one I haven’t seen before! Channeling her inner tinned cocktail drinking Primrose Hill enthusiast, Alleyne brought a new lease of life to the character. Matching both wit and charm together to create a very likeable character, the actress clearly was having fun on stage. This is something I always love to see. If an actor is having fun performing, we will have fun with them as an audience. 

Emily Foxton stars as Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen’s mother. For me, she is arguably the funniest character in the play, providing the majority of the gags with her quick comebacks and her minor reactions to others. The constant fourth wall breaking to give looks of judgement to the laugh track, or even to shout at the stage manager, Craig, added some of my favourite moments of the piece. Foxton is truly a highlight.

Cecily’s teacher, Laetitia Prism, was played by the talented Isha Chana, and her new-found love interest, Canon Chausable, was portrayed brilliantly by Ross Wayne. The two had very believable chemistry that had audience members wishing for more of them - I only wish they had more ‘screen time’. Incredible work.

And finally, the multi-role of the Butler and the groundskeeper, Lane and Merriman, was played hilariously by Harry French. His range is stellar, giving us the overly pessimistic Lane, followed by the happy-go-lucky, squeaky-shoed, groundskeeper, Merriman. A very different role than his part in A Doll’s House where he played Torval - perhaps a perfect mix of these two characters? 

All in all, the production was great fun and really gave audience members a very enjoyable evening of theatre.

The Importance of Being Earnest played at the Golden Goose Theatre between March 25-29.

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