**Noel Coward Theatre • 18 September - 10 January**

It is with some embarrassment that this review starts with an admission that, prior to tonight’s performance, I have never seen a single Oscar Wilde play in the theatre. (I know, I know!) It’s something that’s made all the more surprising given that this production (albeit with an entirely different cast), was recently seen at the Lyttelton Theatre in November last year. I have, of course, devoured the numerous biopics about Oscar Wilde that have appeared over the years, most notably 2018’s passion project from Rupert Everett, The Happy Prince, and Stephen Fry’s own outing as the celebrated Irish poet, playwright, and novelist in Brian Gilbert’s 1997 film WIlde. (More of Mr Fry later). Needless to say, all things considered I was not only excited to finally be popping my Wilde cherry for this West End run of Max Webster’s National Theatre production, but also to be seeing it with such a stellar cast led by Olly Alexander, who brings all of mischievous energy to the role of Algernon Moncrieff.

Obviously my excitement was not going to be enough to guarantee a love for this production alone. Indeed, when Alexander takes to the stage to rapturous applause, the opening of this production could just as easily have been a prelude to a Years And Years gig as, dressed in a flamboyant pink ensemble more reminiscent of Madonna’s material girl than a Victorian dandy, Alexander takes to the piano for a thinly veiled rendition of ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun”. It quickly becomes clear that a few liberties were going to be taken in order to modernise Oscars classic tale of upper class manners, deception, mistaken identity and matters of the heart. Whether Webster’s strategy to cast such a modern eye over this well known classic would backfire and become a distraction rather than an enhancement remained to be seen, but Webster certainly allows himself a degree of poetic licence with his occasional modernising of Wilde’s offering. To his credit he does so with mindful respect, and uses such nods to modernity as a way to celebrate that which Wilde himself might not have been able to express when the play was first performed in 1895 but, one suspects, would have been delighted to have had the opportunity to do so.

In the play we are presented with two men, Jack, (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) and Algernon (Olly Alexander) who are living duplicitous lives in order to court the objects of their affection. Jack takes on the guise of Earnest when courting Gwendolen (Kitty Hawthorne) in the city, whilst Algernon takes on the guise of Earnest when attempting to court Jacks ward Cecily, (Jessica Whitehurst) all of which leads to complications, misunderstandings and lies. Despite this apparently heteronormative plot, Webster creates plenty of opportunities to queer-up both the text and performances throughout, bringing to the fore moments that may have originally been left to languish in the shadows of the stage, or perhaps in the minds of the more liberally-minded audience members watching Wildes work back in the day, many of such moments now being brought out into the spotlight and played for every delicious comedic opportunity. (Armed with the knowledge that the word ‘earnest’ was itself code for a gay man during the Victoria era, the title alone leads us to assume that Wilde is already giving ‘those in the know’ a subtle, playfully subversive wink).

The plot of Wilde’s play could easily have lent itself to a more farcical interpretation, and there’s no denying that the performances on display here are delivered several degrees larger than life, but on the whole they remain splendidly respectful to the brilliance of Wildes writing, which itself was an absolute joy to experience for the first time on a live stage, his words still able to show up many a modern playwrights lofty attempts to match such literary brilliance. This respect is understandably never more noticeable than in Stephen Fry’s gender-bending portrayal of Lady Bracknell, Algernon’s formidable Aunt and Gwendolyn Fairfax’s mother, whose casting could very easily have tipped the whole production into more pantomime-esque territory were it not so sincerely played, to the extent that I found myself musing on just how good it was to see Fry being given the opportunity to drop his seemingly ubiquitous ‘panel and chat show’ persona to once again become Stephen Fry the actor. His transformational look and embodiment of character made this one of several stand-out performances on the night, (alongside Olly Alexanders equally impressive turn as Algernon, once again proving that ‘popstar’ isn’t the only string to this now equally proficient actors bow.), but in Fry’s casting it’s clear there aren’t many actors better placed to encapsulate Lady Bracknell’s sharp wit, social snobbery, and authoritative nature whilst speaking Wilde’s words with such scholarly and comedic assurance.

To be honest, it would be churlish to find fault with any of the performances on stage, including the lesser utilised characters of Reverend Canon Chasuble (Hugh Dennis) and Miss Prism, (Shobna Gulati), who bring something of a ‘born-to-play’ quality to their roles, but it is in the seemingly insignificant role of Merriman, the butler at Jack Worthing's country estate, that Hayley Carmichael almost steal’s the entire second half of the show, her subtle yet hilariously awkward demeanour is a comedic tour-de-force, the smallest of gestures being able to reduce the audience to uncontrollable tears of laughter.

The Importance Of Being Earnest is not only a welcome return for a production that exemplifies the finest traditions of theatre, it is also a fine example of bringing the classics to a new (if not so young, in my case) audience, and hopefully assures the path for playwrights like Wilde to be enjoyed for generations to come, all of which is helped, in no small part, by Rae Smiths vividly lavish set and costume design that makes it incredibly easy to get drawn into Wilde’s world, it’s grand opulence matched only by the technical skill by which scene changes are made and locations swapped between. This is not only pure escapism, it is a fine example of theatre still having the ability to dazzle, enthral and hold its own with an audience more likely to be consuming computer generated CGI on a daily basis. This physical charm is only heightened by Wildes deliciously, near perfect dialogue, competently delivered by this impressive cast. Catch it whilst you can.

★★★★★