Hilarious, Say It Again, Sorry? HILARIOUS! The Importance of Being… Earnest? is a wonderfully wacky, fun experience for all. Audience participation has revived this Wilde classic that we have all groaned at having studied in higher drama into a magical, once-in-a-lifetime ephemeral experience. The show’s simplistic concept is what makes it so special, during this year’s festival I have allowed myself to view productions as an audience member with no preconceptions – i.e. no research prior to productions. When assigned The Importance of Being…Earnest? Despite the punctuation, I expected the classic play. I did not realise at the time that I would be witnessing one of my highlights of this year’s festival.
A faithful revival of Wilde’s classic play is in chaos after the actors start dropping like flies. Will you step into the spotlight, tread the boards and save the show? Winner of Best Comedy Derek Award and 2021 Edinburgh Fringe sell-out show. Check out this smash-hit show before it hits the West End.
The company plays their roles exceptionally well. I was thoroughly impressed by the physical comedy of the actors. Josh Haberfield did an excellent job as Simon playing the stressed out, world is falling apart director and was the key in allowing the audience to fully buy into the chaos. The energy he brought into the room of panic and problem solving sold the simple yet effective concept of the play. Trinity Silk has a fantastic stage presence and ability to leave the audience wanting more. Her character development throughout the play was nicely balanced and paced.Guido García Lueches gives a physical comedy masterclass throughout this production, his intensity and dedication to the role of Algernon makes for a hilarious viewing experience as he holds it together as things go “wrong”. Rhys Tees plays multiple roles and has done a brilliant job at distinguishing between his characters, you cannot help but be impressed as he skillfully switches between Chasuble and Prism – whoever decided on the half woman/half man approach to this deserves credit for that creative choice alone. Susan Hoffman’s facial expressions speak a thousand words, her energy throughout her scenes was spectacular and I could not take my eyes off of her reactions to the room. Ben Manns role as Josh the tech was endearing – as the audience knew what we were expecting, a triumphant moment in which he was allowed to speak. This was built up nicely and Ben had the full audience backing him from the offset.
The creative team have done a wonderful job in creating very realistic “mistakes” during the play. One of the most strikingly hilarious contrasts of the play is the direction from Simon Paris of the authentic delivery of the script material in comparison to the madness unfolding on stage, the costumes are of a high calibre and the set wonderfully designed to create the illusion that the world of the play is crumbling around the cast. The removal of cast members throughout the play and addition of audience members in their place may become slightly too predictable, however, given the fun nature of the play it is easy to overlook.
The Importance of Being…Earnest? Is a brilliant fun fuelled performance full of audience participation. Using the audience to participate in painting, improvisation, script reading, piano playing, the lot. No two shows will ever be the same thanks to the audience members. Splendidly silly and a must see of this year’s fringe. Say It Again, Sorry? Are a fun collective who are ones to keep an eye out for – you can currently participate in their project Not Our Play which allows you to anonymously participate in script writing which will be performed.
Playing The Pleasance Below till August 28th –
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/importance-of-being-earnest
This review has been delayed due to technical issues.
Theatre Scotland 
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