Show: Earnest Endeavours
Society: Theatre 62
Venue: No venue information available
Credits: Ned Hopkins
Type: Sardines
Performance Date: 18/02/2011
Earnest Endeavours
Paul Johnson | 09 Sep 2011 16:25pm
It’s not often that an amateur theatre has the chance to stage a new full-length play written for them by one of their own members but, having been given that opportunity, Theatre 62 have certainly done the playwright proud. Ned Hopkins is the nom-de-plume of well-known local writer, actor/director and regular Sardines contributor Raymond Langford Jones, who had the original idea of imagining what might have happened to some of the characters from Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest twenty years after the conclusion of that play. The potential pitfalls in attempting to emulate Oscar Wilde’s epigrammatic style and satirical wit are easy to imagine, but none are evident here. Indeed, this play could scarcely be more different from what Wilde himself described as – trivial comedy for serious people! Whilst its situations and dialogue create plenty of gentle humour, its focus is on early twentieth century social issues such as women’s suffrage, emancipation, birth control and, most significantly, on the traumatic effects, including personal tragedy, of the First World War. The play stands alone, independent of its precursor, as a thoughtful depiction of that period of upheaval and, although Wildean cognoscenti will enjoy spotting subtle references, the play is perfectly accessible – and enjoyable – to those unfamiliar with the earlier work. The single setting in which the action passes, embodying interesting angles in a variant of the conventional box set, at once communicates the straitened circumstances of the central character, Cecily Moncrieff, deserted and left penniless by the scoundrelly Algernon, now presumed dead in South America. The empty room on which the action opens is progressively, if sparsely, furnished during the opening scene, the positioning of the various pieces being neatly and smoothly interwoven with the dialogue. A window reveals the rooftops of a typical Hammersmith terrace, expertly painted to create depth and realism, slightly marred only by the (very attractive) white clouds on a clear blue sky which, of course, remain unchanging, even during the thunderstorm which ends the first scene. As always at this theatre, the costumes are a particular feature of the production. With five different time-frames throughout the play, the sheer number of changes is remarkable and each seems ideally suited to the personality of the character as well as the style of the period. Wardrobe mistress Margaret Uzzell again excels in producing some superb gowns, complemented by realistic and appropriately-styled wigs. Theatre 62’s flexible space enables the play to be presented almost ‘in the round’, with audience on three sides, creating a very deep acting space. This results in some unavoidable problems with masking and upstaging, but John Oakenfull’s direction is firm and unfussy and elicits a fine ensemble performance from the cast of ten. Only four of the roles are in fact re-creations of Wilde’s characters, namely Cecily, Gwendolen, Lane, Algy’s former manservant and Algy himself, startlingly resurrected in the final scene. Much of the play’s interest and impetus is derived from the ‘new’, mainly younger characters, whose idealism and modern opinions underline the theme of social upheaval. In a brief but significant appearance, Stephen Whalley successfully conveys the boyish enthusiasm of Gwendolen’s son Philip, particularly good in his distress at the revelation of his father’s disgrace; Ian-Paul Munday gives a sympathetic performance as Cecily’s publisher and suitor Edward; Ian Macdonald is the epitome of villainy as the resurrected Algy and Howard James reveals echos of Lane’s former existence, despite his current entrepreneurial success. The best roles in this play are reserved for the women, since it is from their perspective that events are seen, and all take full advantage of their opportunities. Janet Edden handles the demanding central role of Cecily, now an author of popular women’s fiction (whose ‘earnest endeavours’ explain the play’s title) with great assurance. Interacting with every other character, she displays a range of restrained emotions in the face of numerous adversities and sustains an intensely likeable persona. Jenny Jones exudes feminine ardour as her daughter Millie, fiercely espousing the causes, first of women’s suffrage and then of birth control, a strong performance which softens appropriately when she mourns the death of Philip, to whom she is engaged. She is ably supported in her enthusiasms by her militant suffragette friend Hermione, played with verve, humour and perfect diction by Sanchia Leddy, and Pat Adams enhances the production considerably with her assured and melodious delivery of scene-linking songs. Incidentally, both the playwright’s lyrics and the original music by Rowland Lee ideally match the play’s mood and period. The success of this play lies in its satisfying balance between serious social comment, historical context and developing personal relationships. It provides true entertainment, more in the mould of Coward than of Wilde, and audience appeal of a kind not found in much of today’s new writing. Founded on an interesting and original idea, it fully justifies its own separate existence as a notable piece of theatre. Its well-written roles and relatively straightforward staging place it well within the compass of any amateur company and it is to be hoped that it will soon be seen much more widely.
- : admin
- : 18/02/2011