The Times Literary Supplement, July 8, 2005
Ridiculusmus (Jon Haynes and David Woods) have devised a version of The Importance of Being Earnest in which they play all the roles. They begin in a sedate manner, since nearly all the scenes in Act One are duologues, so it is comparatively easy for the two players to slip in and out of costumes; Woods makes a dignified exit as Lane only to re-appear seconds later, the Ride of the Valkyries playing, as Lady Bracknell. When it seems that he will have to interview himself, Haynes suddenly takes over. Throughout the play, Haynes remains calm and cool, but Woods, with a manic air that is sometimes reminiscent of the great Tommy Cooper, is challenged by the necessity to change wigs and dresses ever more rapidly. As each over-familiar scene approaches, the mounting tension is maintained, with an uncertainty as to which of the two will take on a new role. The exchanges betwen Woods as Canon Chasuble and Haynes as Miss Prism, and then Haynes as Algernon and Woods as Cecily carry a sexual charge that has never before been quite so blatantly explored. The final scene, with seven characters on stage at the same time, finds the pair reduced to playing in their underpants, just grabbing hold of some appropriate garment or prop to maintain a hold on each alloted role. Jude Kelly’s direction is inspired, Zoe Atkinson’s set a nightmare of patterned wallpaper and malfunctioning gadgets. This is the first time that Ridiculusmus have appeard in a play, rather than in pieces of their own devising, and it is the funniest thing to be seen in London.
Patrick O’Connor
Related pages:
.. Sydney morning herald .. Will Self, The Evening Standard, 16th June 2005