Film & Theatre, Reviews | Posted on April 10th, 2025 | return to news
The Importance of Being Earnest
Bournemouth Little Theatre, Winton
Oscar Wilde’s classic farce is brought vividly to live in this adaptation being performed at Bournemouth Little Theatre until Saturday 12 April.
First performed in 1895, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ sees two well-to-do gentlemen, Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing, leading double lives using the fake name ‘Ernest’ to pursue their romantic interests, while trying to dodge the overbearing matriarch Lady Bracknell.
Despite being more than a century old, Wilde’s script still holds u, with its clever witticisms and turns of phrase. No wonder it has been stood the test of time and been adapted so many times for stage and screen.
Director John Billington and assistant director Tracie Billington-Beardsley have done a phenomenal job. Their take on the material emphasises the physical comedy of the script, and there is a particularly fun moment at the play’s climax that lets the whole cast join in on one of the play’s immortal catchphrases.
The cast are all very good. Topher Lynn, who has appeared in several Little Theatre productions including ‘Private Lives’ is fantastic as Jack Worthing, with great physical humour and facial expressions. Alex Welsford was splendid in his debut with the company as Algernon, Jack’s frenemy in London, playing up the character’s gluttony and louche behaviour.
Vanessa Turner had a tricky role to fill as Lady Bracknell, memorably played by Edith Evans in the 1952 film version, but Vanessa played it well. Philippa Hendry was fun and entertaining as Jack’s love interest Gwendolen, while Sophie Powell as Cecily was very amusing and brought energy to the stage in her flirtations with Algernon and verbal sparring with Gwen. Meanwhile, Denise King was delightful as the prim and proper governess Miss Prism.
Other cast members, including Lauren Killham, Andrew Whyatt, Michael Mackey and Simon Nightingale were superb.
There were some opening night jitters, with a couple of the actors occasionally stepping on lines or mispronouncing Wilde’s more complicated turns of phrase, but this will likely be ironed out in later performances.
A special mention to the incredible costumes created by the Little Theatre’s costume team. The extravagant outfits of the principal cast, full of ruffs and eye-catching designs, were truly impressive, especially the bustle’s worn by some of the female cast. Gwedolen’s act one outfit, a peach dress with white frills, was particularly striking.
As always, the Little Theatre’s design team did an excellent job making detailed and professional-looking sets for the actors to perform in.
I’d never actually seen Wilde’s famous play before – I’d only seen snatches of it online, or parodies of the original – so seeing a traditional take on the material was very enjoyable, and once again the Little Theatre have done a great job. Catch the show if you can. Tickets available here: https://www.bournemouthlittletheatre.co.uk/next-production.
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