If there’s one thing to be said for the team behind the production of The Importance of Being Earnest which took to the stage (or, rather, the nave) in Christ’s Chapel last night, it’s this: they’ve certainly got guts. To attempt a staging of this beloved play is in itself something of an act of bravery, particularly in a city such as Cambridge, where gangs of Wilde-worshipping English students prowl the streets and lurk around every corner. I wholeheartedly count myself among such enthusiasts. However, to put on a production which re-contextualizes the play into the world of early-noughties California – Kardashian references, chunky laptops, peppy soundtrack and all – almost feels like a ploy specifically intended to scandalise theatre purists. If this is the case, good on them – it seems like the kind of scheme Oscar would have approved of.

“Every character but one had throughout, despite the play supposedly taking place in California”

Setting the play in the (more) recent past allows for a barrage of modern references. While these did inevitably become a little trying after a while, such nods do bring an extra dimension to the comedy and were successful in drawing out a few extra laughs. For those familiar with the play, there is admittedly a certain joy in hearing Lane, the golf-visor clad butler (Lily Schwieren) inform Algernon that there were no cucumber sushi rolls available at the market that day – not even for ready bitcoin.

Sadly, the delivery of the dialogue often left something to be desired, particularly when it came to the particularly wordy back-and-forth scenes between Algernon (Harry Dixon-Spain) and John (Aribah Chaudhry). This was a shame, as it meant that many of the jokes and clever turns of phrase which usually make this play such an utter delight were lost due to a combination of rushed and mumbled speech, bad comic timing, and the affectedly posh British accents which – in an entirely inexplicable directorial choice – every character but one had throughout, despite the play supposedly taking place in California.

Considering the challenges of putting on a play in a performance space with audience on either side, I can forgive the occasionally clumsy staging. However, at some points it seemed as though Dixon-Spain and Chaudhry may have been instructed to randomly and simultaneously move around the space as much as possible while delivering their dialogue in an effort to offset the monotony of their shared scenes. This resulted in us all going a little cross-eyed and suffering from repetitive-strain-induced neck injuries previously only experienced by regular tennis spectators.

Having said this, it should be noted that the cast were only afforded five days to rehearse the play in person prior to opening night. It is therefore perhaps understandable that the blocking was not yet quite perfect. Furthermore, I must applaud all the actors for never once forgetting their lines despite the infamously wordy nature of the play.

“Indeed, the scenes in which [Gwendolen and Cecily] are allowed to play off one another are far and away the highlights of the show”

The real saving grace of this production came in the form of the actors portraying Gwendolen and Cecily (Lizzie Banner and Ayesha Jallali, respectively), who each do an admirable job of not only hitting the comedic beats in the dialogue but also injecting extra moments of hilarity through their physical performances. Indeed, the scenes in which the two are allowed to play off one another are far and away the highlights of the show, and the moment when they discover the unfortunate truth about the identities of their respective fiancés marks the point at which the absurd and eccentric tone of the play really starts to settle in and find coherence.

Also well worthy of mention was Francesca Lees’s turn as Lady Bracknell. To say that Lees did justice to the frankly ridiculous number of outstanding lines which the character has to her name is perhaps the greatest compliment with which I could possibly bestow any actor undertaking this role, and I must say that she did so with style.

There are many things about this production which I could criticise, and which I indeed have criticised most heartily. In many ways, however, I would say that this production embodies Wilde’s wish to both satirise and gleefully celebrate the eternal absurdity of society and humanity in such a way as an entirely faithful staging never could. At its core this is a play about the insanity of life, and in the words of Wilde himself: “Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.”

The Importance of Being Earnest by Emma Griffiths is on at Christ’s Chapel at 7pm from Friday 29th – Saturday 30th April.