The Importance of Being... Earnest? @ Pleasance Courtyard

Before the lights go down, the set of Say It Again, Sorry?'s The Importance of Being…Earnest? looks, to put it plainly, startlingly regular. Antique, velvet furniture adorns the stage in a rich colour palette of reds and oranges. The play begins with a perfectly reasonable interpretation of the first three minutes of Oscar Wilde's famous classic. Then, it all goes wrong when the actor playing the titular role fails to show. 

As actors continue to go missing or become otherwise incapacitated, more and more audience members are drawn into the fray. The result is a delightfully interactive, uproariously funny approximation of a familiar script. Every single cast member offers something unique and playful. Guido Garcia Lueches as Algernon gives a side-splitting performance as the leading actor who can't seem to think on his feet, and Trynity Silk, playing Gwendolen, stands out as the cast member who discovers a bottle of real wine amongst the prop wine. Josh Haberfield's performance as the harried director brings a final touch of true creativity to this production as he tries anything and everything to keep the show going – other than stepping in himself, of course. 

For anyone with roots in the performing arts, The Importance of Being…Earnest? evokes the all-too familiar feeling of being part of one of these disaster productions. Because every audience is different, so too is each show. It's the kind of unforgettable humour that elicits the adage, "you just had to be there." At its heart, the show is a heady combination of good storytelling and raucous, inhibitions-down, can't-stop-laughing playtime.

This show is a feast for Fringe-goers of all levels of experience – whether you're a seasoned theatre-lover or you're setting foot in a theatre for the first time, this whip-smart cast makes you feel like one of them.  

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The Importance of Being…Earnest?, Pleasance Courtyard (Beyond), until 28 Aug, 1.30pm, £12-15.50