The Importance of Being Earnest as Performed by Three F*cking Queens and a Duck is a play within a play, following three fabulously bitchy thespians as they attempt to mount Oscar Wilde’s classic The Importance of Being Earnest. But what happens when you put a trio of queens with equally towering egos and insecurities together? Absolute bedlam.
Written by Steven Dawson, with only splashes of Oscar Wilde woven through, this isn’t a camp(er) retelling of Earnest - no, no, no, no. It’s very much its own beast.
There are arguments over who gets to wear Lady Bracknell’s dress, and debates about how to reinterpret the scenes. If you want to see Earnest acted in the style of kabuki and Chekhov, you're in the right place. The rehearsal process is as hilarious as it is anarchic. The challenge they face in condensing a two-hour production into 90, then 45 minutes ratchets up the tension, pushing these queens into greater ridiculous antics.
Christopher White, Scott Middleton, and Dawson are clearly feasting on more than cucumber sandwiches. They chew the scenery with over-the-top yet wholly committed choices, throwing outrageous insults and venomous retorts at each other faster than anyone can keep up.
While the props are minimal - including a random emotional support duck - the minimal design choice is curious: a yellow fabric patterned screen with stylised ‘exotic’ illustrations of women, which feels more confusing and out of place than intentional. One wonders why not lean into the unapologetically homoerotic vein of Tom of Finland or something similar, which might have felt truer to the queer energy on stage.
By the time Opening Night arrives, we witness the fruits of their chaotic labour as they speed through the play. However, because much of the humour has already been previewed during rehearsals, some of the impact in the last 10 or so minutes, lands a little softer. Still, the sheer panache, glorious absurdity, and brazen performances of this trio make this production an entertaining theatrical experience.
Written by Steven Dawson, with only splashes of Oscar Wilde woven through, this isn’t a camp(er) retelling of Earnest - no, no, no, no. It’s very much its own beast.
There are arguments over who gets to wear Lady Bracknell’s dress, and debates about how to reinterpret the scenes. If you want to see Earnest acted in the style of kabuki and Chekhov, you're in the right place. The rehearsal process is as hilarious as it is anarchic. The challenge they face in condensing a two-hour production into 90, then 45 minutes ratchets up the tension, pushing these queens into greater ridiculous antics.
Christopher White, Scott Middleton, and Dawson are clearly feasting on more than cucumber sandwiches. They chew the scenery with over-the-top yet wholly committed choices, throwing outrageous insults and venomous retorts at each other faster than anyone can keep up.
While the props are minimal - including a random emotional support duck - the minimal design choice is curious: a yellow fabric patterned screen with stylised ‘exotic’ illustrations of women, which feels more confusing and out of place than intentional. One wonders why not lean into the unapologetically homoerotic vein of Tom of Finland or something similar, which might have felt truer to the queer energy on stage.
By the time Opening Night arrives, we witness the fruits of their chaotic labour as they speed through the play. However, because much of the humour has already been previewed during rehearsals, some of the impact in the last 10 or so minutes, lands a little softer. Still, the sheer panache, glorious absurdity, and brazen performances of this trio make this production an entertaining theatrical experience.
SHOW DETAILS
Venue: Theatre Works, 14 Acland St, St. Kilda
Season: until 5 October | 9pm
Duration: 60 minutes
Tickets: $35 Full | $28 Conc
Bookings: Melbourne Fringe Festival
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