Discover what critics have had to say about Max Webster’s production of the classic Oscar Wilde play with our review round up.
WhatsOnStage: *** “But it is as if Webster, faced with his debut at the National, has decided to use every trick in the box and see what works. The result is outrageous, but only occasionally insightful and slightly less fun than it ought to be given the talent assembled on stage.”
Time Out: **** “The Importance of Being Earnest wouldn’t be The Importance of Being Earnest were it not on some level closeted. But what Webster has done here is create a veritable Narnia of a closet, a fantasy world as dazzlingly Technicolor as Judy Garland’s Oz. Why would anyone trade a closet this glorious for the painful grit of real life?”
The Guardian: **** “The pace never becoming hectic, the physical comedy steers clear of farce and lines are crisply delivered without hamming up. Wilde’s polished oxymorons and inverted wisdom (divorce is a pleasure, wives who flirt with husbands are distasteful etc) can sound relentlessly glib, but here they retain their satirical celebration of shallowness.”
The Standard: **** “I’ve seen radical reinventions of this play that didn’t work. This one does. It’s great to see Ncuti Gatwa in it. But greater still to see a talented wider cast tearing up and reassembling Wilde.”
The Telegraph: *** “Max Webster lands on Oscar Wilde’s glittering Victorian masterpiece – with the latest incumbent of the Tardis drawing the crowds.”
The Stage: *** “Flamboyantly queer take on Wilde’s well-loved comedy is arch, high-camp fun.”
London Theatre 1: ***** “The production strikes a fine balance between a strong and relentless display of the kind of hamminess that the play calls for, and not overcooking it to the point of irritation. A stellar cast evidently enjoyed themselves on stage. Some plays from generations ago are a bit stuffy and outdated. Not this one. There are obvious reasons why certain plays continue to get revived on a regular basis. There are very few revivals that demonstrate the ingenuity and imagination of this one. Fun, fabulous and fiery, it’s a hoot.”
The Reviews Hub: **** 1/2 “Revivals of this play in London and elsewhere are not exactly rare, but Webster’s sparkling version brings out all the cutting observations of an Irish outsider looking in on the absurdities of English society. It not so much revives a classic comedy as it refreshes it.”
Broadway World: ***** “You’ll be gagged, gooped etc. It’s effervescent, exuberant, and proudly loud – we think Oscar Wilde would have loved this.”
All That Dazzles: ***** “If you are looking for some great theatrical joy this festive season, The Importance Of Being Earnest has you covered. Joyfully directed and magnificently acted, this production should be prescribed as an effortless way to make even the biggest Grinch raise a smile.”
London Theatre.co.uk: ***** “This is a dazzling carnival, but one with absolute purpose – and the climactic reveal is extraordinarily moving. It has the sense of wonder you feel when the statue moves in A Winter’s Tale or Viola and Sebastian reunite. This is where you’ll find pure magic theatre this Christmas.”
British Theatre Guide: “The queer undercurrent has always been there in this play, so don’t let the gay emphasis in this production put you off. This is high comedy, not RuPaul’s Drag Race. I certainly left in high spirits—an early Christmas treat.”
For more information visit: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/the-importance-of-being-earnest/