A Review of the 2023 Oriel Garden Play The Importance of Being Earnest

Trinity is the term of the garden play in Oxford. With so many planned, each college production team must find a perfect location perform their masterpiece. In the case of Oriel College’s The Importance of Being Earnest, the chosen space was the steps of a quad. Strategically placed next to the bar and artistically brilliant for the purpose of the performance, this was a unique and wonderful choice. As was the choice of the play, which was undoubtedly sporting some talented actors and was certainly a laugh for the audience.

Wilde’s famous play is one often chosen for garden plays due to its fun and light hearted nature and Bella Simpson’s decision to include two intervals while being so close to the Oriel bar added to this fun summer feeling. Admittedly the use of the bell to signal the end of the intervals was an excellent decision, as those buying a drink (or getting warm!) in the bar needed drawing back to the play. Certainly, the audience was entering into the spirit of Paul Becsi’s drunken Lane, who undoubtedly stole the show. Even when things were becoming a little tense within the main action, Besci would draw the eye due to his newly developing romance with whichever bottle he had just acquired. On the topic of newly developing romances, both Nidhi Madhani’s Gwendolyn Fairfax and Cecily Cardew (played by Judy Durkin) were handled confidently. The duo provided endless laughter in their portrayals of the affectations of Wilde’s characters and were very evenly matched in their performances. Equally, Freddie Houlahan’s Algernon Moncrieff excellently played, the actor perfectly balancing the playfulness and sulky nature of the character. He was a strong challenger to the carefully laid narrative of Jack Worthing (Grace Romans) and and certainly had the best role due to the regular access to food and the character’s penchant for anything edible. One cannot talk of The Importance of Being Earnest without discussing the most iconic character of the production. Peregrine Neger’s Lady Bracknell was pitch perfect, being without a doubt the star of every scene that she was in.

The scenes were played out against the steps of the quad, their height being utilised within the play and also allowing for a range of exits. The creative team had clearly thought through the layout of each location and knew not only which exits represented which doors but also where they might lead. The use of the college bar window at one point was particularly ingenious. Unfortunately, the choice of location did come with some challenges and occasionally a college member would appear in the scene. When performing in a public space, these challenges are undoubtedly going to arise and thankfully did not distract too much from the action. This was still an excellent choice of venue for its visual additions to the performance. While on the topic of visual elements, I must also quickly mention the marketing for this show. Never would anyone have convinced me that vintage images and neon text go together; however, the team behind this play have proved me wrong. For some reason that I still have yet to fathom, this marketing choice is a brilliant one that works perfectly.

All in all, this was a well thought out production that brought together striking marketing, a beautiful location and some talented actors. While the night that I attended was a little too cold for comfort, it was by far not the most shiver inducing garden play of Trinity. If a show is able to capture the attention of an audience despite the proximity to the bar and the temperature of a British June, there is a certainty that it is a success. This was my first experience of the play being performed and it was immensely enjoyable. From the drunken antics and female sensationalism to the fearsome performance of Lady Bracknell, this was a wonderful use of a Trinity evening.

Image Curtesy of Oriel Garden Play