Review - The Importance of Being Earnest at Milton Keynes Theatre.

It is a new take on a classic Oscar Wilde play coming which sees the performers playing amateurs putting on The Importance of Being Earnest.
Christine KavanaghChristine Kavanagh
Christine Kavanagh

From there on in, it follows the well loved story which sees two bachelors create new identities to pursue two eligible ladies.

It is quite an interesting idea and the early set up of the show is rather interesting. As someone who has been in amateur dramatics, the last dress rehearsal is always a complete disaster.

But while there was some decent jokes about costumes not working and the formalities as the group does the show every year, they don’t quite carry on. It would have been much better to have seen things going wrong throughout the show.

But there are some very decent performers. Christine Kavanagh as Cecily Cardew set the mood perfectly and Sian Phillips as Lady Bracknell is formidable.

However Nigel Havers spent the beginning of the show talking so quickly that he was unintelligible. While he slowed down during the first half, he started up again in the second half, and at that point, I gave up trying to understand any of the dialogue he said.

Your love of the show is going to depend on whether you like Wilde’s play. If you do, then this is a perfectly fun version.

However I was looking forward to this version because it looked to be a very different take on a much-told story. And sadly it was neither clever nor sharp enough to be a different take.

Review by Steve Mills

The Importance of Being Earnest can be seen until Saturday at Milton Keynes. For tickets visit 0844 871 7652.

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