Review: Freshers’ Plays – The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest marks the start of the Freshers’ Plays, a week of drama directed and produced by the newest members of the St Andrews community. Directed by Joanna Boon and Maria Paris, the cast and crew delivered a show of wit and humour, some of which fell flat, in the packed Barron Theatre.

For those that don’t know, The Importance of Being Earnest marks the rather confusing mishap surrounding two characters who assume the role of Earnest, a suave character who captures the heart of those around him. Of course this identity crisis leads to romantic mix-ups, emotional disasters and the all-too-familiar interruptions from that annoying family member.

Fans of Oscar Wilde will of course recognise the scathing humour which was handled capably by the small cast, with particular mention going to Elizabeth Galbraith, in the role of Gwendolin Fairfax handling the character with exceptional flair, combined with an excellent accent. Galbraith’s comedic timing was evident throughout, important for a play that is filled with witty exchanges and her concentration didn’t waver, rather she was Gwendolin for the entirety of the play. However, the cast was not uniformly confident with the script and the issues in timing and speed of delivery, combined with some odd accent choices meant that the production could never reach its full potential.

The play was confidently directed, and the change from the Town to the Country was well executed, which was impressive considering the black-box nature of the Barron and that setting is often a difficulty in period plays. The tech too was well designed, and the cast was kitted out in appropriate costume, including the all-important talcum powdered hair to signify age!

The tone of the play is be light hearted and the cast worked well to maintain this across the play on the whole, although there were a few notable lulls in their enthusiasm. There was very much a sense that this was a cast that was working well together, helping each other in the moments of error that occurred. Indeed, they were handled well and didn’t interrupt the dramatic flow to too severe a degree.

Whilst the start of the Freshers’ Plays week was a mixed bag, there was much to be praised, particularly the confident direction and the tech design, and I would urge all those involved to continue in drama at St Andrews. The Freshers’ Play are just £4 each, and I’d recommend a visit to the Barron at some point over the coming days. The Lizard can wait for one more week.