The Importance of Being Earnest
Royal Exchange Manchester

OSCAR WILDE’s perennial classic, The Importance of Being Earnest is as popular with audiences today as it was back in 1895 (apart from the odd homophobic lord, of course). 

Despite Wilde’s wonderful manipulation of language, a wit that cuts to the bone and throwing a satirical punch at the ruling class, does it hold up in today’s fast-moving world? I had my doubts. Surely the absurdities of the ruling class which Wilde so enjoyed poking fun at no longer exist? 

Scarily, slip in a few references to climate change and let Cecily obsess over Instagram and Wilde’s masterpiece is effortlessly transformed from a witty satire on Victorian mores to a witty satire on modern society. Today, as it was 140 years ago, the ruling class remain experts in making the trivial sound profound while the profound becomes trivial. The rich and ridiculous still have a stranglehold on power. 

Josh Roche’s slick production is a delight with a cast that appears to wallow in Wilde’s wonderful language. Robin Morrissey gives us a vacuous, dull Jack/Earnest who would fit right into a Keir Starmer cabinet, while Parth Thakerar’s Algernon is dripping in privilege and boredom. Rumi Sutton is all too believable as the teenager, Cecily, where vanity is a virtue and reality is played out on her phone. 

If Lady Bracknell conjures up some of the great dames of the stage then Abigail Cruttenden’s magnificent Bracknell will disperse that image. Her Bracknell is strong, confident and a storm-trooper for her class. Her sole purpose is to defend the natural order. Honed and toned, this Lady Bracknell is more likely to be a panellist on Loose Women than sitting with some old dowager sipping afternoon tea at the Savoy.  

Despite having less than a dozen lines, James Quinn as Lane/Merriman almost steals the show. A Jacques Tati-like performance where every shrug, grunt and interruption is perfectly timed and drenched in the contempt he holds for his betters. A masterclass.

Designer Eleanor Bull has created a hilarious pink and furry surreal dreamworld which is perfect for the great playwright’s work. 

If you need an antidote to the triviality of an election full of Oscar Wilde characters, or wall-to-wall football, then this will be a couple of hours of fun, laughter and escapism. 

Runs until July 20. Box office: (0161) 833-9833, tickets.royalexchange.co.uk.