The Importance of Being Earnest at Parker Theatre

Even though I retired from teaching English four years ago, I still think about the year in terms of the literature I would be teaching. Since I always ended the school year with The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde in my British literature classes, it was so fun to see a delightful production of this witty play at Parker Theatre last night. Jack Worthing (Chris Last) and Algernon Moncrieff (Jonathan McBride) are foppish young men in 19th century England who adopt fictional identities to escape social obligations. Jack invents a brother named Ernest in order to behave badly in London without ruining his reputation in the country and Algernon creates an invalid friend named Bunbury to have an excuse to avoid his aunt Lady Bracknell (Linda Jean Stephenson). Chaos ensues when Jack and Algernon attempt to woo Gwendolen Fairfax (Kristi Curtis) and Cecily Cardew (Kristin Hafen) and are both mistaken for the nonexistent Ernest. The dialogue in this play is razor sharp and the actors deliver it at a breakneck pace as the characters banter back and forth about the trivial concerns that Wilde found so hypocritical among the upper classes of his day. Between the hilarious line delivery and all of the physical comedy, I don't think the audience stopped laughing once during the entire show. I sure didn't! I especially loved how a scene between Gwendolen and Cecily is staged because, as they are fighting over who is really engaged to Ernest, they play a game of chess in which they take out all of their feelings on the pieces. I also really enjoyed all of the subtle bits of business performed by the servants in London and in the country (both played by John-Tyrus Williams and Mary Parker Williams) because, if you pay close attention, it highlights how superficial the main characters are, particularly when they replace all of Algernon's alcohol with flower arrangements when Lady Bracknell visits him. The four lead actors do a great job with the rapid-fire dialogue (their accents are especially good) and with the physicality. Their chemistry with each other is palpable as they move around the stage as if in the middle of a highly choreographed dance and the way they interact with the props, especially when Jack and Algernon fight over muffins and when Gwendolen repeatedly hits Jack with her parasol, is so much fun to watch. Stephenson (most productions I've seen have cast a man in the role of Lady Bracknell) is incredibly imperious and I loved her reaction to hearing about Cecily's wealth. Jayne Luke is suitably flustered as Miss Prism and her scream when she sees Lady Bracknell brought the house down. The sets are some of the most elaborate I've seen at this theatre and the period costumes are very opulent and detailed (I lost count of how many patterns are used in Algernon's suit). This production put a huge smile on my face and listening to the audience laugh was a fun reminder of how much my students always enjoyed reading this play. It runs on Fridays and Saturdays through June 22 and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here).