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Reviews The Importance of Being Earnest Reviewed by Chris Hancock Entire contents are copyright © 2009 Chris Hancock. All rights reserved.
The Importance of Being Earnest is Oscar Wilde's most beloved play and if done correctly, it's an incredibly hysterical roller coaster of farce, enigmas, and quick, witty repartee that leaves the mind buzzing and the stomach aching. The Youth Performing Arts School's production does this justice. Set in Victorian England, most of the play's humor derives from the characters maintaining fictitious identities, its witty dialogue, and its satirizing of the foibles and hypocrisy of the late Victorian Era. The play concerns Jack Worthing, played by Andy Fleischer, and Algernon Moncrieff, played by Joseph Heyworth. The two men both take on a fictitious identity for various reasons. Such as, when Jack goes to London, his name is Ernest. Ernest gives Jack an alibi whenever he wants to do as he likes. Algernon likes to go "Bunburying"; a chronic, non-existent invalid named Bunbury is always on his death bed and Algernon must go to him. This is Algernon's alibi for leaving do whatever he likes as well. But in the first act, the two men tell each other of their schemes and that is where everything unfolds. Director Georgette Kleier sweeps you away into the world of the Victorian Era. From the set, to the music, to the lighting, you feel like you are an audience member at the original open of The Importance of Being Earnest. The play begins with a wonderfully interesting scene that was added in by the director, where Jack and Algernon are getting dressed, piling on the false layers of Victorian society. But when the dialogue started, the play began to drop. The two men seemed to be focusing more on their costumes than the pace. Fortunately, as time went by, the pace was exactly where it was supposed to be. Joseph Heyworth, was wonderfully charming as the foppish Algernon and Andy Fleischer was hysterical as Jack. The chemistry between these two was great but because of things like pace and articulation, a lot of the jokes were lost. But something that added that extra sense of comedy was the absolute stoicism that Dzemila Bilanovic conveyed as her character, Lane, Algernon's manservant. The interplay between the men and this character was brilliant. We are then introduced to Gwendolen Fairfax, played by Christine Noah, who was sensational. Ms. Noah moved and spoke like a true English lady and at times keeping the pace going when it would start to wane. We then meet Lady Bracknell, played by Maggie Rogers. When she walked in, her presence commanded full attention and her voice bellowed with absolute control. She was incredibly funny if I do say so myself. The only thing that kept me from truly believing Ms. Rogers was her accent. But she wasn't the only one. In fact, everyone in the cast had their own problems with the dialect. And it wasn't that the accent wasn't right, it was that they weren't treating the language with the care and beauty that it demands. Fortunately, the acting is what covered for the accents. The director wanted these characters to be completely in this world when it came to their exterior, but she wanted their characters to have truth and motivation. And they did. Despite any downfall of this production, it was the strong connection that these actors had with one another and the wonderful characters that they all created. Jessica Altes shines as Cecily Cardew, Jack's ward. Her naïve thirst for romance and beauty was absolutely excellent. Other characters include Miss Prism, played by the quirky yet sophisticated Emily Schum, who is Cecily's governess and Dr. Chasuble, played by the hysterical William Carpenter. The amazing chemistry that this cast conveyed is what made me almost completely overlook some of the minor details. Yes, the actors had a few problems but the technical aspects of this production were absolutely brilliant. The set and the costumes marry together so well with Ms. Kleier's Victorian Valentine vision. If I had to rate this production on its tech, it would be a ten. Light blues, light pinks, oranges, grays, etc. Kudos to Ms. Amy Heskamp for costumes and Eric Allgeier for his true Victorian style set. And lastly, the direction. Georgette Kleier took such a complex piece of theatre and added some truly innovative and creative aspects that audiences who have seen a production or Earnest before as well as those seeing it for the first time will find truly wonderful. This production of Earnest is so charming and enjoyable for everyone. There is nothing like being taken away for two hours into a completely different time and place and you will not want to leave when it's over.
The Importance of Being Earnest ***Note: This production is double cast.
September 25 & October 2, 2009:
September 26 & October 3:
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