Raising a glass to Oscar Wilde with the WA premiere of The Importance of Being Wasted

What do you get when you take a classic comedy and spruce it up with a generous pouring of spirits, some clever writing and a half-trollied cast of actors? The Importance of Being Wasted of course! Opening at The Hat Trick at The Pleasure Garden from Friday, February 9, until Sunday, February 11, this Western Australian premiere promises to deliver a night of entertaining, and laugh-out-loud (though potentially not historically accurate) theatre shenanigans. BEC WELDON spoke to Art React’s producer and performer Natalie Bochenski about the show, it’s origins, and general alcohol-related mischief!

Congratulations on the Western Australian debut of The Importance of Being Wasted! What can audiences expect to see from the show?

It’s Oscar Wilde with a sexy, slightly sozzled twist! Two performers each night will be tipsy, and it’ll be up to the other four to try to keep the show on the rails.

Why Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest? What drew you to that story in particular?

The show’s co-creator, Elizabeth Best, and I loved the idea of shaking up this wonderful comedy of manners like you’d shake up a daiquiri.

This is such a hilarious format for a show, but surely one that can be pretty chaotic! What’s the most memorable moment from performing with half a ‘half-cut’ cast?

Wilde is of course known for his spectacularly wordy witticisms, so watching trollied actors force their mouths around them is always hilarious. There have been spilled drinks, burps, fits of giggles and unexpected deviations from the script.

One time, one of our Gwendolens essentially took a nap onstage. She was supposed to be sitting on a chaise, but instead kicked her heels off, slid back, and just took a load off. Thankfully, her cloudy brain was following along enough that she managed to rouse herself for a line!

Does the cast have a favourite way to get sufficiently tipsy before making it onstage? Does everyone have a drink of choice?

It’s generally very civilised; most enjoy a gin and tonic, a vodka and orange, or a scotch and soda. They have a couple before the show and another during. We want them to frolic, not fall down!

How do you approach devising a show that expects to be different each night?

I think the secret is approaching the show with the goal of making this a sensational comedy in its own right. We rehearsed totally sober because we want everyone to have the show in their bones. It means that when the tipsy performers get out there, their fuzzy minds know what they should be doing. There is, of course, joy in the disconnect that alcohol provides, but we’re not relying on it to give the audience a great show. Like a good cocktail, it’s all about the mix!

Do you think Oscar Wilde would appreciate the modern adaptation?

We’ve talked about this, and honestly, I think he’d love it. So many of his jokes are pretty daring for the 1890s, but to get that same reaction from contemporary audiences, we’ve ramped up the chaos in the script.

And also, ahem, the horniness. Everyone is so into each other in this play, so we lean right into that. We also have a live pianist with us, which adds such levity and fun to the show as they’re able to improvise around any mistakes with music.

Art React is based in Brisbane and specialises in some pretty hilarious pop culture-inspired shows! How did Art React come into being?

Back in 2013, I decided to take my holiday savings and put the funds into putting on a play instead. I needed a name and wanted something that reflected my experience of both scripted and improvised theatre, hence ‘Act’ and ‘React’.

However, the name took on a more significant meaning in 2015 when we first staged Speed: The Movie, The Play, our immersive, site-specific comedy homage to the movie Speed (seen at Fringe World in 2017 and 2020). Engaging the audience almost as a performer in our shows is wonderful. We’re all acting and reacting to each other!

What’s next for Art React in 2024? Can we expect another boozy literary rendition to be in the works soon?

Yes indeed! I’m slowly working on Wine and Prejudice, as we want to put the gin into Jane Austen’s Regency.

We’ve got some other big projects we’re aiming for, but it’s a bit of a gamble this year. Life is tough in the independent performing arts; the cost of living is biting us, but it’s also biting our audiences. You can’t simply increase ticket prices when more people are cutting back, but it becomes harder to afford all the costs of putting on performances.

We hope that by being targeted in what we do, we can attract people to come out and see something different. This is a raucous late-night show that’s an alternative to the wonderful cabaret and circus acts at Fringe World, and we hope people will come and say cheers with us.