Earnest? – Review – Leeds Grand Theatre

By Gail Schuster, April 2025

Earnest? is a different production of Oscar Wilde’s last society comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest. Written and first performed in 1885, it was initially very successful but closed after only 86 performances due to the scandal around Wilde’s homosexuality and relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas. An event which led to him being imprisoned for two years, following which he lived in exile.

Earnest? follows the original play, which is a clever satire that pokes fun at deception, identity, and the societal expectation of marriage. The plot revolves around two young bachelors, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, who lead double lives to escape the constraints of society. Jack has invented a troublesome brother named Ernest, which gives him an excuse to visit London and assume the persona himself. Meanwhile, Algernon conjures up an ailing friend named Bunbury, whom he uses as a reason to avoid dull social obligations. Trouble begins when Jack proposes to Algernon’s cousin, Gwendolen, and must prove he’s not pretending to be someone he’s not. As mistaken identities pile up, the absurdities of Victorian society are humorously explored and what it really means to be “earnest.”

“Superbly versatile”

The novelty of this production is that the central role is taken by an audience member. It starts off traditionally, but soon it becomes apparent that the actor playing Ernest has not turned up. At this point, Simon, the director, portrayed by Josh Haberfield, starts to look for a solution to the problem and comes up with the crazy idea of finding someone in the audience to act the part. By the end all the cast had been replaced for one reason or another.

The show was genuinely the funniest I have seen for quite some time. Lots of different comedy techniques are used throughout to hilarious effect and all the audience participants went along with it. Haberfield is clearly good at spotting those people who are good sports, the key requirement for being suddenly required to ham it up in front of hundreds of people. The beauty about this format is that you will see a different version every time you go to see it.

Rees Tees, who plays the actor Graham is superbly versatile taking the roles of Lane, Miss Prism and the rector, to great effect and like other members of the cast is a master of vocal and physical comedy. He appears unexpectedly at several points during the evening.

“Comedic impact”

Josh, the stage manager portrayed by Ben Mann, works tirelessly to keep the play on track. Though he never speaks, his performance is anything but quiet, relying on exaggerated body language and expressive facial reactions for comedic impact. At one point he uses cue cards, which sometimes break at laughably inconvenient moments, creating suggestive innuendos, until the full message is finally revealed for Ernest to read.

This version of The Importance of Being Earnest was first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2021, and subsequently changed its name to Earnest? following three years of appearing at the Fringe. The show has been extended into two full acts and is on a UK tour before a highly anticipated stint in the West End. If you missed catching it in Leeds, then it can be seen at venues across the country through May and June.

Say It Again, Sorry? is an award-winning theatre company, (Derek Award for Best Comedy) which was formed in 2018 by a group of friends and specialises in interactive theatre in which people participate actively in their productions. The result is an unpredictable and surprising evening of very funny entertainment.

If you like farce in the manner of The Play That Goes Wrong or comedy evenings, then this will be for you. It is a show that is guaranteed to get you laughing.

For more info visit sayitagainsorry.com
images: Mark Senior

Gail Schuster( Writer )

Gail is a woman with many interests.  She loves a bracing walk through the countryside, filling her lungs with air and enjoying the flora and fauna along the way. An animal lover, she has found herself sharing her home with creatures with four, six and eight legs, though some of the ones with a higher number of legs have been introduced by her daughter! A keen theatre goer, Gail once ran the entertainment section of her work’s social club. When she’s not walking or enjoying a performance, you can usually find her in the garden or cooking up something in the kitchen. An enthusiastic home cook who likes to try her hand at new dishes which are mostly appreciated by her husband and daughter, broccoli roulade or cauliflower pizza aside. Able to converse in several languages, Gail eventually found her cosy corner in her adopted Yorkshire.

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