Any production of a major theatrical work should be wildly applauded. In conjunction with Montreal’s Pride celebrations, Théâtre Ste-Catherine hosts a Village Scene Productions (VSP) presentation of Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, the four-act version in English and French. Reset in 1929 Montreal, the play promises, “added flair of some eclectic period music and eccentric dance steps.” Those familiar with the original be warned: there are more than a few surprises.
Oscar Wilde is quoted as saying that, “[W]e should treat all the trivial things of life seriously, and all the serious things in life with sincere and studied triviality.” While Wilde’s play relies upon razor-sharp banter that must be delivered with utter conviction and — to forgive the pun — earnestness, Ryall’s interpretation is founded upon the bawdy, physical humour of burlesque that transforms the comedy into a self-conscious farce.
In this adaptation by VSP artistic director Davyn Ryall, the first of many surprises is Lane (Jonathan Marquis) who is portrayed as a stuttering buffoon. This improbable butler to Algernon (Chris Nachaj) sets the tone, offering the first true shock late in the first act with an outrageous acrobatic entrance. While the cast keep a grasp on dialogue that motivates the humour in the first half, ribaldry wins the stage and the play recedes into slapstick: characters chase each other around the cramped stage, confounding the audience with a repertoire of facial expressions and body language that become more farcical as the action progresses. Nachaj’s Algernon is unmistakably modelled on John Cleese (complete with a ‘silly walk’) while Kristina Sandev’s Cecily cannot seem to make up her mind whether to be a petulant child or a calculating vixen.
The play’s innovation has to do with use of limited stage space — such as the way the steps are used during Lady Bracknell’s inquisition of Jack’s (Marc-André Poulin) background. The physical humour, however, negates the idea of the supremacy of style and appearance over content — a point ironically referenced by Elsa Perez’s Lady Bracknell in a later scene. Burlesque wins the field and actors consequently ham it up for the audience leaving Wilde’s trivial gravity behind. Despite best efforts, the space of Théâtre Ste-Catherine proves too small for Ryall’s inspiration and the cast strains to handle the singing and dancing in cramped quarters.
Finally, Ryall’s transposition of location, meant to bring the audience closer to action, leaves one to wonder how much was done to preserve the cultural and social significance of place in the original. Although Montréal surely had its hierarchy of fashionable locales, do the names and places function on the same level? In the end, VSP’s Bunbury is de-clawed and stripped of Wilde’s powerful humour and wit, leaving behind only burlesque — minus the striptease.
Bunbury opens today at 15h in French and 21h in English and runs through Sunday. The proceeds of both première performances go to the benefit of the Montréal Pride Celebrations. For further information and tickets please visit Village Scene Productions.
