Review: The Importance of Being Earnest

May 3 2008 by Francesca Carpanini, South Wales Echo

Review: The Importance of Being Earnest

The Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare

THE Coliseum Theatre, Aberdare, hosted a fantastic and flamboyant production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of being Earnest by Mappa Mundi, Theatr Mwldan and Creu Cymru this week.

A talented cast was able to bring out the comedy genius behind Wilde’s words, with Liam Tobin as Algernon Moncrieff improvising in a number of scenes, which added a few extra laughs to the consistently funny play.

The foreboding character of Lady Bracknell was played by Christine Pritchard who had great fun with Wilde’s caricature of the aristocracy.

Meilyr Sion, playing the role of both John and Ernest Worthing, set up the confusion around Ernest and his non-existent relative with a canny sense of comedy timing.

The play requires over-acting and this production perfected that, especially the scene between Gwendolen (Mali Tudno Jones) and Cecily’s (Lynne Seymour) when the pair first meet.

Secondary characters, Merriman (Lizzie Rogan), Reverend Chasuble (Chris Morgan) and Miss Prism (Rhian Morgan) did not step into the background, but were very much used at the fore which added to the play’s depth.

Overall, it was an excellent production that did not disappoint; Oscar Wilde would have been proud of its triviality.