Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest has been making audiences laugh since 1895. Why stage it again? That’s the question that Artistic Director Kip Williams and Director Sarah Giles have wrestled with in their new production at Roslyn Packer Theatre. Their answer? To make more explicit Wilde’s satire of the upper classes. Whether they have significantly elevated the class satire already inherent in the text, is up for debate. However, what is undoubtable is that the team have delivered a very funny, highly entertaining night at the theatre which will please Wilde fans and new fans alike. I love Oscar Wilde’s witty writing and I love this play, so I had high hopes and high expectations for this production, and it did not disappoint.

Director Sarah Giles and Set Designer Charles Davis have added a Downton Abbey-esque division to the set design and concept, whereby the servant class are on display working in their quarters, at the same time that the upper class are having their ridiculous altercations which form the subject of the play. The sharp contrast of the two worlds creates a compelling visual image at the start of the play. With the skilful help of Lighting Designer Alexander Berlage, we see an opulent, sunlight-filled upper-class London townhouse, placed next to a dingy basement-like living quarters. Giles has added many additional silent moments of physical comedy from the servants, which sometimes add to the production but often distract from it. Giles’ choice serves to emphasise the privilege and folly of the upper-class characters. Although I do think Oscar Wilde’s text does that already so adding this explicit class commentary is a bit on the nose.

On the topic of designers: give Costume Designer Renée Mulder all the awards. Her opulent designs serve the dual function of emphasising the extravagance of the upper classes, while also delivering Sydney Theatre Company customers the kind of craftsmanship and luxury they hope and expect to see at a pricey mainstage production. Mulder and Design Associate James Lew have created some jaw-dropping gowns for Lady Bracknell (Helen Thomson) and Gwendolen Fairfax (Megan Wilding), and I also loved the pizazz of Algernon (Charles Wu’s) green bow-encrusted suit. I particularly enjoyed the use of wigs (supervised by Lauren A Proietti) to emphasise the flamboyance of the upper classes.

The first thing you notice in this show is that the actors are having a lot of fun, and their infectious joy passed on to the audience. It certainly feels like Giles gave the performers free reign to be as ridiculous as they wanted, and they are taking up the opportunity. Restrained, this production is not. Megan Wilding stole the show as Gwendolen, regularly making me and my guest snort with laughter. Melissa Kahraman plays a modern Cecily like an impetuous, precocious 2023 teenage girl—I was reminded of Alicia Silverstone in Clueless. Charles Wu is also a joy to watch, literally prancing around as Algernon, delighting in ribbing his friend John (Brandon McClelland, also good but playing it more ‘straight’ than the other three). In contrast with Wilding, Kahraman and Wu who are having the time of their lives, Helen Thomson serves as a strong anchor to the ensemble, by taking the ridiculous, iconic Lady Bracknell and playing her deadly seriously.

The irony of Sydney Theatre Company staging a production that skewers the upper classes while also selling tickets that often cost upwards of $100 is not lost on me. I know that many students, like myself, might not be able to afford to see this show, which is a shame because it really is a very witty, very fun night out.

Although, on the flip side, a lower-budget indie theatre with cheaper tickets, would not be able to deliver a production on the level of scale and grandeur that Giles has achieved— in a sense, you are getting what you pay for, with highly skilled designers and craftspeople working at the highest level.

I am aware that this price-point might not be financially accessible to everyone, but if you can somehow obtain a ticket, I really do recommend The Importance of Being Earnest.

Jo Bradley