The importance of overacting...
The other day, Nadya bought tickets for herself me, and her mother to see the Russian language version of The Importance of Being Earnest at the Russian Drama Theater. Oscar WIlde seems to be very popular in Russia and Ukraine. I saw a fantastic production of Lady Windermere's Fan in Petersburg and absolutely adored it, and I'm fascinated by the way that Russians translate British stuffyness and high society.
This production was completely underwhelming. My first issue has nothing to do with the performance itself, but the translation. In Russian, the play translates to "Kak Vazhno Byt' Sereznym" (How important to be serious). However, the characters continue to call themselves "Earnest" (Well, Ernst. But close enough). It completely loses the play on words. There is a Russian name, Seryozha that sort of works and would retain the meaning... Although it would be wierd to have Gwedolyn, Cecily, Algernon, and Seryozha.. but still.
Now to the performance itself. The show completely missed the point of Wilde's play, which was to mock the haughtiness and overpropriety of British society. The music did the play no favors. Occasional spurts of music played on a piano in serious need of a tuning. Little melodic spurts of scales or the first few bars of a wedding march would follow bits of dialog, used the same way that comedians use a quick drum and cymbal combo to indicate a punch line.
The actors went for the overdramatic silent film school of acting. Algernon slouched around the stage like he was an extra on Friends And Cecily... Dear God I wanted to strangle Cecily. Cecily acted like a bunny rabbit on speed. The actress spend all of her time on sprinting back and forth on stage, watering imaginary plants and shrieking her lines excitedly. I don't think she stayed still for more than five seconds. There was some line about Earnest having been sent to Australia. She cupped her hands and jumped up and down like a kangaroo to illustrate her point. I don't think this is what Mr. WIlde had in mind. The director seriously needed to read a few Jane Austen novels, or at least see the movie versions of them. Because dear lord!
We decided to leave at intermission. It's not like we don't know how the play ends...
Nadya and I left musing if it was an issue of cultural misunderstanding, bad direction, or a little bit of both.
This production was completely underwhelming. My first issue has nothing to do with the performance itself, but the translation. In Russian, the play translates to "Kak Vazhno Byt' Sereznym" (How important to be serious). However, the characters continue to call themselves "Earnest" (Well, Ernst. But close enough). It completely loses the play on words. There is a Russian name, Seryozha that sort of works and would retain the meaning... Although it would be wierd to have Gwedolyn, Cecily, Algernon, and Seryozha.. but still.
Now to the performance itself. The show completely missed the point of Wilde's play, which was to mock the haughtiness and overpropriety of British society. The music did the play no favors. Occasional spurts of music played on a piano in serious need of a tuning. Little melodic spurts of scales or the first few bars of a wedding march would follow bits of dialog, used the same way that comedians use a quick drum and cymbal combo to indicate a punch line.
The actors went for the overdramatic silent film school of acting. Algernon slouched around the stage like he was an extra on Friends And Cecily... Dear God I wanted to strangle Cecily. Cecily acted like a bunny rabbit on speed. The actress spend all of her time on sprinting back and forth on stage, watering imaginary plants and shrieking her lines excitedly. I don't think she stayed still for more than five seconds. There was some line about Earnest having been sent to Australia. She cupped her hands and jumped up and down like a kangaroo to illustrate her point. I don't think this is what Mr. WIlde had in mind. The director seriously needed to read a few Jane Austen novels, or at least see the movie versions of them. Because dear lord!
We decided to leave at intermission. It's not like we don't know how the play ends...
Nadya and I left musing if it was an issue of cultural misunderstanding, bad direction, or a little bit of both.