Review: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, Lawrence Batley Theatre & The Dukes, Lancaster (Online)

Co-produced by The Dukes, Lancaster and the Lawrence Batley Theatre, this new adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest gives us plenty of laughs, heartfelt moments, and lots of Northern accents!

Based on the Oscar Wilde classic, this version is written by Yasmeen Khan, and has been heavily updated.  Khan’s version is not simply lifted from one time period into another; it’s been given a complete makeover, introducing new characters and giving some from Wilde’s original a new role in the play. However, the core elements remain true to Wilde’s classic and there are some wonderful nods to the original throughout the piece.

The action takes place across various sets, with the actors moving between each one multiple times, but under the direction of Mina Anwar, assisted by Eleri Jones and Olivia Race, it never feels too rushed or chaotic. Although filmed onstage at the shows two co-producing venues, the show has a sitcom feel to it, which works perfectly for the play. 

The sitcom feel is enhanced by the set and costume design by Holly Pigott, sound by Dave Bintley and lighting by Douglas Kuhrt.

Anwar also plays the role of Ms Begum, Gul’s very strict mother. A highlight is the ‘interview’, which takes place between Earnest/Jamil and Ms Begum - very funny and a nice nod to the original play.

The rest of the cast are all excellent too. Gurjeet Singh’s Earnest/Jamil is a character we can all root for, and Tom Dixon’s Algy has some nice character development and growth throughout the show. Nikki Patel as social-media obsessed Gul, and Zoe Iqbal as Safina are both excellent as opposites to their Earnest’s, and the interactions they have between one another are great too. Melanie Marshall’s Miss Prism is an updated character from the original, here playing Safina’s lifestyle guru, which is a really nice change to her character. Earnest also has some cameos from a few well-known faces including RuPaul’s Drag Race finalist Divina De Campo as Algy’s assistant, Paul Chahidi as the director everyone wants to work with, Harriet Thorpe as Jamil’s agent, and Hugh Dennis and Sindhu Vee as daytime TV hosts. 

An enjoyable, updated version of a much-loved play. It manages some genuinely touching moments but never takes itself too seriously. It will be enjoyed by those who love the original play, as well as those who aren’t as familiar.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Amy Louise

The Importance of Being Earnest is available to stream until 4 May 2021 here.