Having already advised you, dear reader, of “something wicked” currently playing at Staunton, Virginia’s Blackfriars Playhouse, I can further recommend something wickedly funny to round out your visit with American Shakespeare Center’s current acting company.
Macbeth may be a great study of the evil that lurks in our hearts, but Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is a truly delectable study of our pomposity and cluelessness. Chock full of immortal aphorisms and gags to keep you in stitches, José Zayas’ production of this Wilde classic fits the unique ambiance of the Blackfriars perfectly — where the lights stay on and the actors constantly throw their best one-liners right into your lap.
The setting is an appropriate mixture of reality and pretense. At the opening we have a nice, red Persian carpet, complemented by an equally cozy chaise lounge in red paisley, both of which are offset by a clearly fake fireplace painted on canvas upstage. It’s a hint of the ways in which façades and fakery define Wilde’s world and his characters, reality notwithstanding.
As becomes clear early on, both of the young bachelors here — Algernon and Jack — thrive on dual identities, adopting one persona in the city and another in the country. The discussion of “Bunburyism” certainly had a more secret meaning for Wilde (who himself lived a double life), but in this instance, it is all about the joys of subterfuge and fakery, and using the country and city personae to personal advantage. Especially when one considers one’s romantic objectives.
Our bachelors here are a great match: as Algernon Montcrieff, Britt Michael Gordon’s insouciance and nonstop jokes at the expense of society (and himself) find their foil in K. P. Powell’s Jack Worthing — with Powell playing straight man to Gordon’s madcap wit. Scarcely capable of keeping up with Algernon and his schemes, Jack finds his best-laid plans nearly blown apart as the evening progresses.
It doesn’t help that the two ladies who are the objects of their affections — Summer England’s Gwendolen Fairfax and Sara Linares’ Cecily Cardew — have their hearts set on marrying men with just the right name — Ernest, naturally, must be the man of their dreams. That they might be better off looking into their beaux’s personalities and lifestyles never occurs to them, of course. And the minute it looks like both Gwendolen and Cecily might be vying for the same gentleman, the gloves come off. Which leads, dear reader, to one of the most hilarious, passive-aggressive High Teas From Hell imaginable, with the bumbling servant (Aidan O’Reilly, a proper klutz if there ever was one) desperately trying to avoid getting hit by bits of flying cakes and sugar lumps.
Presiding over these nutty festivities, in the highest of high dudgeon, is Lady Bracknell, whose daughter Gwendolen is one of the, erm, objectives here. Angela Iannone, who has more than proven her excellence in tragedy, turns in a sidesplitting take on the matriarch whose every utterance is a study in Victorian nuttiness. Her magisterial presence, complete with Kristina Sneshkoff’s costumes (and brilliantly festooned hats!), is matched by her warbling, elite vocal qualities. (Think of her as Algernon in corseted drag, and you get some idea.)
Nothing bodes better for a night of comedy than a swinging pre-show: musical prodigy Britt Michael Gordon (who, when not sporting a guitar, is the wittiest Algernon on the planet) leads the cast in a brilliantly syncopated acoustic version of Michael Jackson’s classic “The Way You Make Me Feel,” followed by Sara Linares’ wonderful take on Julieta Venegas’ “Me Voy.” Truth be known, the musical programming has had some weak spots here and there over the last few years; but for this repertory, Musical Director Summer England (who, when wearing other hats, plays the ridiculously self-composed Gwendolen Fairfax to a T) has assembled an ensemble that can belt it out, keep up with the changes, and have us grinning from ear to ear before a word of Wilde’s is even uttered.
But wait, there’s more — we are treated to two intermissions here, which gives Iannone (in one of them) an opportunity to drop her magisterial Lady Bracknell for an earthy Cockney wench, leading the audience in an old music hall classic, Charles Collins’ “My Old Man Said Follow the Van.” And the second intermission finds the ensemble rendering Ed Sheeran’s “I Don’t Care” as a nice segue into the final act.
There is so much to recommend to one’s sensibilities here — for humor, for music, for fine costuming — that I’m afraid I might run on too long with this review. Rest assured, you’ll be dazzled and smiling the whole night through for this production of The Importance of Being Earnest.
Running Time: Two hours and 30 minutes, including two intermissions.
The Importance of Being Ernest plays through October 20, 2024, (in repertory with Macbeth through November 23, The Merry Wives of Windsor from September 12 to November 23, and Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors from October 17 to November 24) presented by American Shakespeare Center at the Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 South Market Street, Staunton, VA. For tickets ($28–$73), call the box office at (540) 851-3400, or purchase them online.
Cast and artistic team credits for The Importance of Being Ernest are online here (scroll down).
SEE ALSO:
A ‘Macbeth’ for our moment at American Shakespeare Center (review by Andrew Walker White, July 23, 2024)
