OSCAR Wilde’s frivolous yet serious comic satire certainly sparkles and delights in this vibrant new production of arguably his greatest work.

In deed, this literary classic that first ruffled Victorian upper classes feathers back in 1895, remains the finest and funniest of farces.

With David Suchet starring as the iconic and indomitable Lady Bracknell the show comes with high expectations as it heads into the West End shortly after it's Southampton run.

The esteemed Poirot actor by no means carries this show, however, and it is Wilde’s wonderfully witty words that are the enduring star, along with brilliant characterisations and comic pairings throughout the play.

Suchet has clearly set out to avoid any semblance of pantomime dame or drag queen in his quest for a more naturalistic grande dame but his portrayal of this starchy, austere figure did not always hit the comedy target.

The occasional nod to the fact that this is a man in a frock would have helped.

Undoubtedly the scene in which Jack reveals to her he was discovered in “ a handbag!” at Victoria Station was a comic highlight and yet the immortal two-word line made famous by Dame Edith Evans, a celebrated Lady Bracknell, lost a lot of its impact, spoken very differently, through stifled laughter.

Unrecognisable in full corset and sweeping gown, Suchet captures her rigid nature and stuffy adherence to social conventions in his constantly upright movement and vocal delivery and it is impossible to pinpoint one stand-out performance from a sparkling cast.

Equally, space would not permit me to quote any stand-out lines given that the text is rich with laugh-out loud lines throughout.

Full credit should go to director Adrian Noble for staying true to the original text whilst weaving the funniest physical comedy and slap-stick humour into a perfectly timed and executed farce.

The comedy builds and builds in the exchanges between John Worthing (Michael Benz) and Algernon Moncrieff (Philip Cumbus) peaking in their ‘angry’ exchanges delivered through mouthfuls of muffins and butted teacakes.

Equally brilliant, the snobbish Gwendolen Fairfax (Emily Barber) alongside Imogen Doel’s particularly funny and convincing portrayal of the silly, contrary Cecily Cardew produces some classic moments in the play.

If that is not enough, the governess Miss Prism (Michele Dotrice) and the arduous, if aged, Rev Canon Chasuble( Richard O’Callaghan) form a gleeful partnership too.

There is no denying that Wilde’s superb satire on Victorian manners is one of the funniest plays in the English language – the delightful repartee and hilarious piercing of hypocrisy and pomposity had the audience in stitches.

In fact it is easy to forget this seemingly frivolous play has a much darker side, sending up the hypocrisies of the society in which Wilde lived.

  • The Importance of being Earnest runs at The Mayflower Theatre until Saturday.