Say It Again Sorry’s production of “The Importance of Being… Earnest?” is far from Wilde’s original vision, a fact made entirely obvious by having Ashley Cavender’s Algernon introduce the show with a piano performance of Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. What ensues is an evening of entertainment that sees multiple audience members become embroiled in a madcap production of Wilde’s famous play. After Ernest fails to enter, the production is brought to a halt by “director” Simon Slough (Josh Haberfield), whose resolution to the problem of a missing actor is to search for a replacement from the audience – someone who knows very little about the play and has very little acting experience, and it is precisely this fact that makes the play remarkably enjoyable to watch.
It should be stated that, whilst there are obvious elements of improvisation, particularly from Haberfield who is able to seamlessly interact with the audience and respond to whatever suggestions are thrown out, this is very much a scripted piece, and very cleverly scripted too. At no point are audience members left to flail or struggle onstage – the entire piece is planned to a tee, with very clear instructions given to audience members, but done in such a way that makes it seem as though they are making those decisions themselves on the spot. At times, our Ernest (a woman called Jo) was asked leading questions, designed to make her “fail” onstage, or given deliberately vague instructions, which obviously lead to comic moments. A very funny segment saw Jo and Cavender attempt to say the same line at the same time – but, of course, Cavender’s delivery is so quick that it makes it virtually impossible for the audience member to get it spot on the first time. Which is exactly the point – who wants to watch an audience member perform perfectly?
The fact that this piece works so well is largely down to the audience members chosen for the missing roles. It is a dangerous thing to rely on an audience member so heavily – Ernest is chosen within the first ten minutes of the play, and the entire show more or less relies on them, so it is vital that Haberfield picks carefully, trying to choose someone who can offer comedy gold (there were many jokes made about Jo’s height, as she was a lot shorter than the actor she was replacing) whilst not upstaging the professional actors on the stage.
Amidst the chaos involving audience members, there are multiple jokes throughout that seemingly pay homage to The Play That Goes Wrong, with Guido Garcia Lueches forced to play the roles of both Chasuble and Miss Prism in the same scene, and Trynity Silk continually downing glasses of whiskey during a scene that keeps being repeated. These moments are undoubtedly funny, and draw laughs from the audience, but one can’t help feeling that this is nothing new, and that these jokes have been done before (and, in some cases, with more success). The slapstick comedy and physical theatre aspects of this production are seamlessly woven into the script, but feel unnecessary – where the play shines is in its audience interaction.
And it isn’t just the audience that get involved. At one point in the production that we saw, a member of the front of house team was dragged onstage to perform a section of Gershwin’s “The Man I Love” (although the fact that this was chosen over a young woman’s offer of Doctor Who’s character themes is, quite frankly, a travesty). Whether a two and a half hour show can sustain this sort of comedy, however, is really a matter of taste. The production manages to find multiple interesting ways of getting the audience involved (at one point, auditions are held to fill the role of Cecily, and later an audience member is given brushes and paint and asked to create a picture), but the original Fringe production tends to recycle too many jokes and feels a little overly long.
Nonetheless, this is an incredibly funny evening of theatre (audience member Ian had me in tears at his German rendition of ‘Do You Know The Muffin Man’), and one that is sure to entertain audience members old and young. Whether you know the story of Wilde’s original is neither here nor there – the plot takes a backseat, with all focus thrown on the audience members who find themselves suddenly in the limelight, and the chaos that ensues. A very clever show from an extremely talented production company.
Tom Morley, April 2025
For more information on how I decide on star ratings, see here: Star ratings – Broken Legs Blog
Review Round-up:
Theatre and Art Reviews – Earnest by Say It Again, Sorry? – Theatre and Art Reviews give the show five stars, calling the show “a definite must-see production that is currently on tour and eagerly awaiting a West End run”.
Eyes on Stage – Say it Again, Sorry? …Earnest? Eyes on Stage claim Say It Again, Sorry have “pushed the boundaries of theatre to create something where no two shows are the same and the term audience interaction is taken to the extreme”.
Fairy Powered Productions – …Earnest? Review Another five star review from FPP who state that this “wonderful show will have you roaring in the aisles and gagging for more”.
Broken Legs Blog 