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Edward Kirby (John/Jack Worthing) and Henry Pyne (Algernon Montcrieff) in rehearsal. Picture: Stuart Purfield The Importance of being Earnest Malvern Theatres Youth Company *** Oscar Wilde’s comic masterpiece is so
rich in famous and outrageous lines that it can hardly fail to gather a
crowd and to entertain. The young players of Malvern Theatre, directed
and supported by the resident professionals, bring their great acting
talents to the Forum Theatre this week before going north to the
Edinburgh Fringe. Agatha Christie said ‘Be sure your sin will find
you out!’ Both John Worthing and Algernon choose to invent stories and
characters to hide their actions and intentions. Wilde hilariously
exposes their lies but brings them to a safe and joyous conclusion. This production has pruned Oscar Wilde’s
three-act drama to run without interval. The script loses nothing
significant by being slightly abbreviated in this way, but the decision
to do this has created a tension however.
The cast deliver the lines at a cracking pace at
the expense at times of clarity of diction, and also with the result of
losing some of the comic impact of this play which relies heavily on
verbal humour and dexterity. The details of the plot are quite complex and are
not easily absorbed at this pace, so the impact relies excessively on
the audience being familiar with the play and indeed its lines. This is
disappointing and fails to maximise the entertainment value of the
piece. The cast are very talented, many of them training
currently at drama schools around the country. Rhys Harris-Clarke doubles as the butler(s) and
Canon Chasuble – he is a natural comic – he was in danger of stealing
the show at times. The girls, Elizabeth Ann Jones (Gwendolen
Fairfax), Lexi Henry (Cecile Cardew), Ellie Ricci (Lady Bracknell) and
Mia Stevens (Miss Prism) maintained the greatest clarity and timed the
comic lines most successfully. Ellie Ricci has considerable presence and
delivered lines with great authority. Henry Pyne (as Algernon Montcrieff)
and Edward Kirby (John or Jack Worthing) moved well and had some
excellent moments of comic physicality. As a cast they achieved the
heightened RP accent very successfully and used the space well. The design is minimalist – a few items of
furniture are all. This helps with a show that is heading off on tour,
but does throw the emphasis on the actors, their lines and delivery. It
is a shame we felt as though they were in a rush to get through the show
rather than savour the rich verbiage and humour of the piece. This felt
like a missed opportunity for a talented cast to squeeze the full comic
value from a brilliant play. Tim Crow 09-8-22 |
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