THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING…EARNEST? – THE MOST HILARIOUS NIGHT OF CHAOS AND COMEDY!

By Emma Carney | Bunny Pudding · Digital Coven · @bunnyscopes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

…Earnest? by ‘Say It Again, Sorry?’ is an absolute triumph of madcap farce, immersive theatre, and side-splitting absurdity. And let’s be honest—it’s exactly the kind of gloriously bonkers experience I live for.

As a lover of Oscar Wilde I’d seen many versions of this famous play but certainly not one as unique in its staging as this.  From its Fringe roots to its well-deserved UK Tour with this performance in London at the Richmond Theatre, this show has honed its chaos to perfection. The venue’s authentic Victorian grandeur added a layer to the unfolding mayhem—especially when they were doing the crowd work, I felt like I was in an old school playhouse. I loved it.

On paper, it’s a performance of The Importance of Being Earnest. In reality? A performance spiralling into disaster as actors vanish (often in ludicrous ways), forcing the cast to drag innocent bystanders onstage to fill the gaps. The result? Pure comedic gold. It’s hard to break down traditional in a traditional review so…

Highlights included:

• A muffin scene so funny I nearly choked (no spoilers, but trust me—it’s legendary).
• Sword fights gone gloriously wrong. Nothing says “Oscar Wilde” like watching an audience member panic their way through a sword fight.
• Audience “auditions” that had us all howling—whether we were picked or not. It was fabulous to see someone randomly popping out of the audience to the stage and revealing real talents and in many cases, strong comedy chops.

The Cast? Genius. The Volunteers? Heroes. And before anyone panics, no one gets on the stage without enthusiastic consent…it’s not that sort of show and trust me, in any theatre performance there is always at least 20% of us in the audience who were (remain) ‘theatre kids’ and don’t need to be asked twice to get on a stage. The improvisational brilliance of the core cast of …Earnest? is awe inspiring, as someone who *ahem, pushes hair behind her ear* likes to perform a wee bit of improv herself now and then it’s impressive to see just how quickly each performer can pivot and work with the audience.

The …Earnest? performers are pros and all are masters of physical comedy, who can dance around what is fed to them to work with by others and switch roles with chaotic grace. Josh Haberfield as the neurotic director Simon was particularly fantastic with his panicked crowd work—think a cross between a game-show host and a man whose sanity is slipping. Ben Mann as Stagehand Josh really had you rooting for him, and Trynity Silk can play drunk better than most actors that I have seen. Hilarious!

The evening also presents a few acting debuts with the unsuspecting audience members thrown into the spotlight. Watching them fumble through Wilde’s dialogue with zero rehearsal was comedy at its most raw and joyful. Therefore, no two shows are the same—chaos reigns, and every night is a fresh disaster. I can confirm that the crowd was in literal tears – the older man behind me laughed so hard I worried for his ribs. It’s also perfect for all ages—even the ‘yoof’ on my tube ride home couldn’t stop raving about it. Gen Alphas are a tricky lot to please at times but they really loved it.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Smart, silly, and utterly unique, it’s a celebration of everything that makes live theatre magical.

Now say it with me……A HANDBAG?!!