The Importance of Being Earnest (Bishop's Stortford)

The famous du Maurier cartoon caption can be applied to Edward Max's production of The Importance of Being Earnest for Contexture – "good in parts". There are three excellent sets by Martin Robinson (which deservedly elicit applause) and the cast obviously enjoy the witty things they have to say and the posturing of the characters as they endeavour to resolve their extremely complicated entanglements.

But – and I'm afraid it is a big one – the fun of the formality which hedges all the relationships Wilde lays out for our pleasure is fractured early on. Algernon and Jack, tunnel-visioned Lady Bracknell (with her daughter very much a healthy young twig of the same tree), Cecily's half-innocent, half-knowing ability to twist most people she encounters around her dainty little finger – not to mention Miss Prism and Canon Chasuble – lack to a greater or lesser degree consistency and therefore credibility.

The introductory music is ragtime, which leads one to suppose that the action might be updated to around the period of the First World War. It's not, and neither Susan Bovell as Lady Bracknell nor Lucy Laing seem comfortable in the 1890s. Their costumes don't help either. Cecily is a part which sits much more comfortably with Siddy Holloway and, the odd textual fluff aside, I liked Jonathan Holby's Algernon Moncrieff and Matthew Butler's Jack (aka Earnest) Worthing.

Reversing the usual characterisations, Lane is played as a doddering man on the brink of retirement while Merriman is younger and spry; Edward Grace doubles the roles. There are some social solecisms – men standing while women sit, Gwendolyn never receives the cup of tea her cousin has poured for her and that final clinch between Chasuble (Simon Anderson) and Alys Torrance's pickety-peck Miss Prism among them.

I can see why Contexture chose this play as its calling-card production, and it's only fair to say that the audience enjoyed it. Wilde's masterpiece comedy is in many ways actor- and director-proof. But it could have been, should have been better.