Monday, April 18, 2011

Radio review – TGA – “The Importance of Being Earnest” (1947) ***1/2

It’s always a pleasure to renew an acquaintance with this classic comedy of matters (“a perfect curate’s egg of a play” as I think Noel Coward once described it). Full of lovely lines and fine characterisations – even if it’s resolved by a very convenient deux ex machina in the form of the revelation about Jack’s parentage. Like Wilde’s other comedies, it skewers hypocrisy but not as blatantly as them. It’s performed by John Gielgud and his company – he’s the only one who gets top billing (he plays Jack) but the cast include Pamela Brown (Gwendolyn) and Margaret Rutherford (Lady Bracknell, even though she played Miss Prism in the movie version). Some random observations – I never appreciated before how Algy is always stuffing his face full of food.

No comments: