Theatre collective Bloomshed is known for being irreverent with the works they adapt for the stage, but they also imbue them with contemporary political discourse. They do choose texts that people will have their own experiences with or allegiances to, so they are also flirting with the possibility of the audience bristling at not getting what they expect. Though their reputation for fucking with the classics does precede them now.
Their
one-hour version of The Importance of Being Earnest is not Oscar Wilde’s
play but it does tackle the nuances of his work and the ways in which it both
resonates and clashes with the contemporary moment. It also weaves Wilde
himself into the text, resonating with another show that played in the same
space back in January – The Inheritance, a contemporary retelling of Howard’s
End that included E.M. Forster in its cast of characters.
James
Jackson, Elizabeth Brennan, Tom Molyneux and Hayley Edwards embrace playing
multiple characters in the show – swapping roles when necessary and especially once Molyneux takes centre stage as Lady Bracknell. The show combines many of
Wilde’s witticisms with Bloomshed’s metatextual and post-dramatic commentary –
and a few dick jokes here and there.
Nathan
Burmeister and Sam Hastings’ set and costume are striking – alluding to fabulous
days of yore, while also firmly acknowledging how the glories of these
characters’ lives are fading. The bed sags in the middle. The intricate
flooring is peeling away. And the cucumber sandwiches are not to be trusted.
John Collopy’s
lighting – with an array of candles along the back of the stage – creates an
atmosphere that suggests a religious ceremony or sacrifice.
This
production is short, sharp and hilariously funny for most of its run, but it is
also fully aware of the context in which it was written and with Wilde there
all along, its final moments are powerful and gutting. Bravo to the entire team
for setting us up for one thing and then swiftly pulling the rug out.
For all of the show's silliness, is this ending a moment of Bloomshed being earnest?
- Keith Gow, Theatre First
The Importance of Being Earnest closes today at 5pm
Photos by Sarah Walker
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