THEATRE: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

Oscar Wilde’s already lavish plot line has indulged in some visual glamour over at the Darlo Theatre Company. Director Nicholas Papademetriou has shifted the setting to the 1930s and with this, brings an art deco finish to the classic. The costumes are more outlandish and the set is splashed with deep reds in the first act that is London, and a pastel wash to the final acts in the country. Algernon looks comfortably pompous in a flamboyant suit that, I’m sure, Wilde himself would have been proud of. After all, this is a play where style is everything and sincerity, well that is not vital. Lady Bracknell (played by Offspring‘s Linda Cropper) steals every scene she is in as the delightfully deadpan Aunt, serving her witticisms on a silver platter. Imaginary alibis, a good name and afternoon tea are taken seriously here, and marriage is as trivial as a handshake. Some cheap shots are received favourably: “Australia? I’d rather die,” remarks Algy, staring down the barrel to the audience. In fact, no one is safe – the married, the lower-classes and anyone named Jack – beware.

Until Nov 7, Darlinghurst Theatre, 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point, $30-37, 8356 9987, darlinghursttheatre.com