Wilde play is well executed, a feast for the senses - Kilkenny Live

Frivolous fun was served up in abundance during Barnstorm Theatre Company’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest at the Watergate Theatre last week.

Audiences were delighted with the production which was well executed and there were strong performances by all the main characters in the play.

The play is considered by many to be one of Wilde’s finest and the actors brought the wonder of Wilde’s writing to life.

Walton Institute inspires Kilkenny students to explore a career in research

Sean Hackett shone in the role of the irresistible Jack Worthing who examines and explores attitudes towards marriage and the trivial and tedious restraints and constraints of so-called polite society while leading a somewhat complicated life or lives.

John Prendergast is equally brilliant as the idle and indulgent Algernon Moncrieff in Wilde’s magnificent farce with sharp wit contributing to many moments of hilarity and there was a great rapport between the two men.

The formidable Lady Bracknell was well performed by Mags Whitely, a well known face to Kilkenny theatre audiences while John Whitely (Lane) Eoin Nangle Ryan (Merriman) and Jim Carroll (Canon Chasuble) also no strangers to the stage in Kilkenny also gave strong performances resulting in a near perfect performance of this Wilde classic.

The leading ladies Gwendolen Fairfax (Sarah Walsh), Cecily Cardew (Becky Jenkins) and Miss Prism (Delia Lowery) were all more than convincing in their roles and each had a strong stage presence which was both engaging and at times intriguing.
The play was directed by Philip Hardy who once again succeeded in creating a fantastic piece of theatre from start to finish.

The set was designed and built by Harry Harris and costume design was by Joan Brennan.

The Importance of Being Earnest is a masterpiece and Barnstorm succeeded in bringing it to the stage in all its glory. The play is part of the Curriculum Play Live project which was initiated in 2016 for secondary school audiences by delivered a play from the syllabus while also giving Kilkenny audiences excellent productions of classic plays.

A talented stage team of volunteers, many of whom have recently moved to Kilkenny from the Ukraine, Jordan, Pakistan and another part of Ireland ensured that the scene changes were both seamless and stylish.

A special word of congratulations and welcome to Bobby Reade, Brendan Maguire, Alison Mulloney, Carlos Matues, Ikram Mohayudin, Wesam Akram Ahmad, Hanna Konstantinova, Volodymyr Fedorenko and Svitlana Karpusha.