Players revive classic in Earnest

Alan Cleaver

Last updated 14:51, Monday, 21 July 2008

MORE than one person is saying this is Keswick Theatre's best summer season in years - and after seeing The Importance of Being Earnest I'm not going to disagree.

Handbag! Importance of Being Earnest is at Keswick Theatre

This was yet another first class piece of theatre joining the other main house delights, Arsenic and Old Lace, and The Lady In The Van.
And it's a strangely challenging play. Just say the word 'handbag' and everyone immediately knows which play you are talking about. Or start to mention many of the other famous lines and people can normally finish them off for you. And therein lies the problem. This is no longer a play, it's a string of famous Oscar Wilde quotes strung together and being read out on stage.
Fortunately director Ian Forrest makes the actors work hard to lift this from being a script-reading into a lively piece of drama.
He's helped by a strong cast, not least Matthew Vaughan who plays Algernon Moncrieff and Sara Coward who plays Lady Bracknell. I was disappointed with her almost throwing-away of the handbag line but what do you do with the most famous one-word line in comic theatre? She tread that difficult line between making Lady Bracknell a gorgon but still keeping her lovable.
I'm fast becoming Matthew Vaughan's biggest fan. He seems able to tackle any role thrown at him with ease and a good dash of panache. He gets the role of Algernon spot on and delivers even Wilde's tiredest lines as though he'd just thought of them.
Krissi Bohn has perhaps the most difficult of roles. She has to convince the audience she has fallen madly in love with, and is prepared to marry, someone who she only met that afternoon. But she does it well, portraying someone who is suitably 'flighty' but not so silly that the audience ends up hating her.
David Ericsson, Amy Humphreys and Andrew Pollard make up the rest of the central characters who all work together well. A special mention goes to Peter Rylands for his portrayal of both butlers which is quite delightful! Indeed with perhaps the least amount of cliche Wilde lines to deliver he's able to get the most out of the part by some excellent bits of business or just the occasional glance across stage.
The sets are spot on although the transition from the patio of the manor house to inside the library leads to an awkward 10-minute second interval.
This isn't the most challenging theatre you'll ever see (for that you're best going to see Bogus Woman) but it's certainly one of the most entertaining and best staged plays you'll ever see.
The Importance of Being Earnest is at Keswick Theatre. Box office: 017687 74411. - Alan Cleaver