ridiculusmus

last night, we went to the belvoir st theatre to see the importance of being earnest. boy, i don't know what oscar wilde had in mind when he wrote the play, but i don't think this interpretation was what he had in mind somehow. the last time i saw this play, it was nothing like it was last night. last night was really different and really funny. the importance of being earnest, the way oscar wilde intended, is a funny play anyway, but last night, it was taken one step further.
i've seen more plays this year than i ever have done in the past, and one thing i've noticed is that plays tend to be on the light side with the number of actors - nothing like the full chorus one finds in an opera or musical. very economical - a couple of actors carry the story line and there's no padding, no unnecessary bit parts, no extras to do their rhubarb thing.
last night was no exception - economical, no bit parts to accommodate a benefactor's aspiring offspring; none of that. in fact, two actors play jack and algernon - and all the other characters as well. how's that for economy? so not only does one get oscar wilde's funny play, but one also gets the added bonus/distraction of 2 guys doing a sybil thing. it starts off with them doing the costume changes quite smoothly, and ends with the costume changes getting quite bizarre, all on stage. i'm sure this is all intentional - the storyline also starts to reflect a sense of chaos at the same time, so i'm not only laughing at the story, but also at the guys sorting out their characters through the use of costume props, which when you consider it, is quite clever. have i lost you?
i'm sure there's someone out there who can express this all more eloquently and put me, and definitely you, out of our misery.
oh, if you do get a chance to see it, look out for some "interesting" incorrectly vintaged props - i'm not spoiling thing by telling you what they are - part of the fun is spotting them.