As Oscar Wilde himself notes in his preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray, “The critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things”. The task of interpreting Wilde – whether you’re a director, actor or even reviewer – is always a challenge to be relished, and not to be taken lightly. His writing is riddled, not only with a rich opulent language and a plethora of delicious witticisms, but with scathing critique of society, the arts and culture.

Arcade Productions is the latest group to take up this gauntlet in a small cosy space above a pub, located in the heart of Islington. The Old Red Lion Theatre is one of those places that has managed to seamlessly fuse together bar and drama: perfect for interval drinks, and it’s a pleasure to slink off from the Friday night din to the performance.

The set was everything that Wilde would have hoped for: zebra print, gilt-framed paintings, and a well-dressed man lavishly draped across a suede psychiatrist’s couch, languidly perusing a magazine as the audience wandered in. And when the benches were full, the lights dimmed and Algernon (James McNicholas) rose to the audience.

By starting the performance playing with a Wii remote, I thought that maybe the production team had decided to put the modern twist on Wilde, creating a fusion of old and new, and attempting to drag the late-Victorian drama into the twenty-first century with a host of gadgets and modern references – a style attempted by many and achieved by very few. Fortunately, there are very few such ‘modernisms’, and the performance is quite true to the temporal setting of the play (making the opening Wii sketch seem slightly superfluous).

McNicholas’ portrayal of the arrogant, self-interested and affluent Algernon is fair. It would be hard to make Algernon dull and disinteresting, and the talented young actor certainly doesn’t do that. However, I can’t help feel that he lacks some adventure with the role, and that he hasn’t delved deep enough into the complexities of the potentially fascinating character.

Similarly across the cast, there was an element of imagination missing. For example, Simon Grujich plays lovesick Jack with a delightful awkwardness, but just fails to find that point between romantic fervour and insecurity that Wilde writes into the character.

The stand-out performance comes from Janet Jefferies’ portrayal of Lady Bracknell. Jefferies embodies the character’s snobbery and oozes with supercilious condescension. Not once does she appear uncomfortable with the role.

The promising young team of dramatists have put on a good night and, despite the criticisms that can be drawn from this bold endeavour, it is definitely worth a watch. At £14 it’s not the cheapest tickets available for fringe theatre but it is Wilde, so if nothing else you will be entertained.