Harlequin Players:

THE essence of Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance lies in its witty epigrams.

Indeed, the plot is nearly submerged by verbal 'fireworks'.

Four characters drive the action, Lord Illingworth (a cad and a bounder), Hester (an American heiress), Gerald (a young innocent) and Mrs Arbuthnot (his mother).

His lordship turns out to have had an affair with Mrs Arbuthnot and Gerald turns out to be his son. Gerald is a wishy-washy young man, whose loyalty is divided between his mother, his dastardly father and the amorous charm of Hester.

The play mirrors an empty upper-class society teeming with insincerity and waspish gossip.

Despite the clever dialogue the story lurches into Victorian melodrama, though presumably Oscar Wilde's intent is to expose the upper class hypocrisy and the contradictions of 19th century England.

Undoubtedly, the women hold all the power and in this production the actresses relished the roles of straight-backed, impish society ladies - notably, Jenny Hindmarch as the domineering Lady Pontefract and Caroline Young as the dippy hostess Lady Hunstanton.

As Gerald, Matthew Lambert seized the opportunity to display a wide gamut of emotions most effectively and convincingly.

A very convincing, confident performance too from Alan Prior as the immoral aristocrat whose readiness with the clever twist of phrase and upper-class charm was portrayed extremely well.

Katie Oakes, a newcomer to the Harlequin's stage, managed a near perfect American accent and demonstrated perfect poise as Hester.

Linda Sunners as the wronged Mrs Arbuthnot - one of the play's few truly sincere characters - was absolutely convincing in a deeply felt and emotive performance.

The costume department excelled itself by creating attractive and seemingly authentic gowns, and the direction, under the steady hand of Gordon Hamlin was well controlled and imaginative.

The strong cast also included Michael Melville, Phil Wright, Dave Gilliver, Matthew Lambert, Ben Brunsden, Maureen Melville and Kim Watts.