A Woman of No Importance
The Adelaide Repertory Theatre presents its fourth and last virtual play, A Woman of No Importance. Their next play The Rivals will be presented live at the Arts Theatre Adelaide for three nights with a Covid-reduced audience.
I applaud their resilience and determination to keep theatre alive during this difficult time and wish them all the best for future ‘live’ performances.
A Woman of No Importance, written by the inimitable Oscar Wilde and directed by Angela Short, relates the events at Lady Hunstanton’s estate over 24 hours.
A house party is in running smoothly at Lady Hunstanton's country home until it is announced that Gerald Arbuthnot has been appointed secretary to the sophisticated, witty Lord Illingworth. Gerald's mother stands in the way of his appointment, but fears to tell him why, for who will believe Lord Illingworth to be a man of no importance?
Oscar Wilde’s plays are well known for their flippant wit but A Woman of No Importance, not commonly performed, delves into much deeper subjects (i.e. the true meaning of importance). Is it the money or social status that shows one's importance or is it something else, something that the money can't buy like family or love?
The action of the play alternates between scenes satirising the English aristocracy, who favour appearance rather than intelligence or talent, and the drama simmering under this veneer.
Perhaps the reason for this play’s infrequent production is the structure - the first half focussing on the British mores of the 19th century, which tend to slow the pace and belie the dramatic intensity of the dialogue.
Angela Short’s direction highlights the sharp contrast of the English aristocracy’s superficiality and the real-life dramas lying just beneath its surface.
The cast is packed with Rep favourites and newcomers who fall into three categories, the protagonists, the aristocracy, and the eccentrics.
The protagonists carry the ‘weight’ of the play with impressive intensity - Gary George’s rakish Lord Illingworth (the villain we almost find ourselves liking), Sharon Malujlo’s Mrs Rachel Arbuthnot (heart rending and wronged by Illingworth), Emily Hodgkison’s puritanic Hester Worsley (the ideal voice of reason) and Tom Spiby’s Gerald Arbuthnot (the illegitimate and righteous son).
Lindy Le Cornu’s delightfully vacuous Lady Jane Hunstanton leads the aristocracy, whose house party includes Lindsay Dunn’s wife-weary Sir John Pontefract; Jenny Allan’s domineering Lady Caroline Pontefract; Rebecca Kemp’s flirtatious Mrs Allonby; Jack Robins’ moralistic Mr Kelvil; Matthew Chapman’s carefree Lord Alfred Rufford; and Ashley Penny’s naïve Lady Stutfield.
The eccentrics feature Brenton Whittle as Archdeacon Daubeny, Megan Dansie as Rose, the hard of hearing inept maid, and Jess Wolfendale as Alice, a servant.
Completing the production team are Laura Antoniazzi, Rose Vallen, Ray Trowbridge, Richard Parkhill, Emily Currie, Ben Todd, Thomas Filsell, Charlotte Kay, Phil Short, Rebecca Jarratt and Matt Chapman.
My only reservations with this production are a few inconsistencies in the men’s costuming and some caricaturing of English upper-class accents that tend to slow the pace in the first act.
So, does A Woman of No Importance still have relevance in today’s society? I think the answer is yes! Its focus on honesty in communication and relationships are reccurring themes in any period of history.
The Adelaide Repertory Theatre are to be commended for presenting this hidden gem of the Oscar Wilde repertoire with the limited finances and resources that accompany the slow emergence of live theatre from Covid-19.
Barry Hill
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