Two young men have inadvertently deluded the women they love that they are named Ernest. The Victorian ladies, for their part, idealize the name. When they lrarn the truth they're liable to hit the roof and call off their weddings.
The 1952 movie of Oscar Wilde's 1890s masterpiece set a high bar for performances, especially Edith Evans' famous Lady Bracknell. How does this version, broadcast on "Great Performances," measure up?
Lady Bracknell is my yardstick for "Earnests" and I'm glad to say Wendy Hiller hits just the right note. Lady Bracknell is a difficult role. She mustn't be too silly or she's not menacing; nor so menacing she ceases to be funny. Hiller, the old pro, takes all the hurdles in her stride.
The rest of the cast, especially in the smaller roles, is quite good. Erstwhile pop singer Jeremy Clyde has just the right voice for Algernon. He starts off a bit too waspish, a deadly trap. Algernon should be played with utmost sincerity for the nonsense he talks to work properly. But he settles into the role after meeting Cicely and is delightful for the greater part of the play.
Gabrielle Drake is a solid Gwendolen. And still beautiful, if a tad long in the tooth for close-ups. It's the old Juliet problem: by the time an actress understands the part she's too old to play it. But she does quite well.
Gary Bond, as Mr. Worthing, is a nonentity. He's not bad, he's simply not memorable. It's not his performance but himself that fizzles. Considering the role's importance to the play, that seems like a serious drawback. But he gets through the play well enough. Nevertheless, it's Clyde, Hiller and Drake one remembers.
It's stagey, but it is a play. The worst problem it has is frenetic cutting. The show was broadcast about the time MTV was cranking up and it seems to be copying that fast-paced music-video cutting. Early on, this is annoying. Strangely enough, despite the quick cutting, the play itself takes its time. It even dawdles here and there.
Overall, this is a fun version of "Ernest" that should be more readily available.