The Importance of Being… Earnest? from Say It Again, Sorry? is an amazing production, and is entirely different to anything else in theatre right now. The show begins as a traditional retelling of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, but when the lead actor (who plays Earnest) fails to arrive, a member of the audience is asked to step into the role. As the production goes on, more and more of the cast have to drop out for increasingly humorous reasons, and the audience is asked to fill in.
As soon as you step into the theatre, the atmosphere is brilliant. The audience is asked to join in as a whole to help the performance along, which allows the audience to become more attached to the characters. The entertainment value of the production simply increases as it plays out, with humour targeted towards all ages, so that everyone watching is able to laugh – teenagers, adults, and older people can understand different jokes, all whilst still enjoying the show.
It is also worth mentioning that the actors are playing other actors who are playing the characters in The Importance of Being…Earnest?, and their ability to do this double-layer acting is incredible and did not go unnoticed by anybody in the audience. A particular standout was Lady Bracknell, played by Amy Cooke-Hodgson, who had an immediate stage presence, captivating the audience even before she spoke.
The audience is engaged as soon as the play begins, with humour being a prominent part of the production almost immediately. Both the acting and spoken words add to the already brilliant atmosphere and has the whole audience laughing. As the production progresses, the audience becomes fully invested in the characters, rooting for them and hoping everything goes well in the end.
Additionally, everybody involved in the production was brilliant at improvisation, and always worked with the audience in hilarious ways. By the end of the production, seven audience members were present on stage, and the actors had to improvise constantly, all while still acting as the characters putting on the theatre play. That is something incredibly difficult to do, and yet the members of the cast managed to do it perfectly.
Overall, The Importance of Being… Earnest? is an extraordinary show, full of humour, perfectly timed audience engagement, and is a show with high-production value. Due to this, and the fact that it is unlike any other show currently, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys comedic theatre.
The Importance of Being… Earnest? from Say It Again, Sorry? is an amazing production, and is entirely different to anything else in theatre right now. The show begins as a traditional retelling of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, but when the lead actor (who plays Earnest) fails to arrive, a member of the audience is asked to step into the role. As the production goes on, more and more of the cast have to drop out for increasingly humorous reasons, and the audience is asked to fill in.
As soon as you step into the theatre, the atmosphere is brilliant. The audience is asked to join in as a whole to help the performance along, which allows the audience to become more attached to the characters. The entertainment value of the production simply increases as it plays out, with humour targeted towards all ages, so that everyone watching is able to laugh – teenagers, adults, and older people can understand different jokes, all whilst still enjoying the show.
It is also worth mentioning that the actors are playing other actors who are playing the characters in The Importance of Being…Earnest?, and their ability to do this double-layer acting is incredible and did not go unnoticed by anybody in the audience. A particular standout was Lady Bracknell, played by Amy Cooke-Hodgson, who had an immediate stage presence, captivating the audience even before she spoke.
The audience is engaged as soon as the play begins, with humour being a prominent part of the production almost immediately. Both the acting and spoken words add to the already brilliant atmosphere and has the whole audience laughing. As the production progresses, the audience becomes fully invested in the characters, rooting for them and hoping everything goes well in the end.
Additionally, everybody involved in the production was brilliant at improvisation, and always worked with the audience in hilarious ways. By the end of the production, seven audience members were present on stage, and the actors had to improvise constantly, all while still acting as the characters putting on the theatre play. That is something incredibly difficult to do, and yet the members of the cast managed to do it perfectly.
Overall, The Importance of Being… Earnest? is an extraordinary show, full of humour, perfectly timed audience engagement, and is a show with high-production value. Due to this, and the fact that it is unlike any other show currently, I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys comedic theatre.