Mask and Bauble’s ‘Importance of Being Earnest’ is laugh-out-loud funny

What lengths would you go to for love? Assume a false identity, buck your era’s societal norms, change your name to Earnest?

These are just some of the questions addressed in a fabulous new production of The Importance of Being Earnest, presented by Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society, the student-run theater troupe at Georgetown University.

Oscar Wilde’s seminal chamber farce has been making audiences laugh since it premiered in 1895 in London. Today, in the hands of these charismatic student actors, Earnest still lands with abundant wit and delight. 

Director Jack Markowitz, along with the cast and production team, has created a show that is consistently amusing and at times laugh-out-loud funny.

According to Mask and Bauble’s program notes: “This Trivial Comedy for Serious People follows the story of two friends and the double lives they live not only to escape social obligation but to assist in the pursuit of their attractions. The confusion? They both use the same name: Ernest.”

And wow, does it get confusing. In a nutshell:

Protagonist Jack Worthing, a respectable country bachelor played with upright poise by Albert Malhotra, courts the fair city-dweller Gwendolen Fairfax, played with equal respectability by Claire Cable, during his frequent visits to London.

At the same time, Jack’s friend Algernon Moncrieff, a dandy urban bachelor played with foppish perfection by Sam Levinger, pursues the free-spirit country lass Cecily Cardew, played with youthful vigor by Ruth Abramovitz, during a surprise visit to her country estate. 

The twist is that both male suitors lie about their identities to the respective loves.

In the city, Jack pretends to be a man named Earnest, his fictitious brother whose scandalous lifestyle frequently calls him away from the dull country-estate duties. Similarly, Algernon has invented an invalid friend named Bunbury, whose poor health regularly requires him to forego his stifling London social obligations. 

In an early scene, Algernon exposes Jack as a “Bunburyist,” someone who avoids duties and responsibilities, by claiming appointments with a fictitious person.

Making matters more complicated is the fact that 18-year-old Cecily is the ward of Jack, and she lives with him along with her middle-aged governess, Miss Prism, played with prim moral rectitude by Addison Golden. Miss Prism also happens to be a failed novelist who now expresses untoward desire for the Reverend Canon Chasuble, played hilariously in drag by the petite Makenna Faddis.

Are you still following me?

It also turns out that Gwendolen is the cousin of Algernon. And Gwendolen’s mother, Lady Bracknell, also played in drag by a larger-than-life Drake Norris, disapproves of Jack’s (Earnest’s) pursuit of her daughter. Questioning the integrity of his family lineage, she sputters over-the-top Victorian excuses as to why the two young lovers are not suited for one another. 

Meanwhile, Algernon has become intrigued by Jack’s mysterious ward Cecily. One day, he takes it upon himself to visit her country estate, where Jack also lives. Cecily has heard much about the roguish “Earnest” through Jack, and she is primed to be smitten when she and Algernon first meet and he claims to be Jack’s brother.

Almost there.

This sets up the funniest scene of the play for me, when later Cecily and Gwendolen meet for the first time, and both believe they are engaged to the same person, Earnest! They whip out their journals to point to respective entries documenting the actual proposal. When Jack and Algernon enter the scene and see the two young ladies on fire, the jig is up, and they confess their deception.

The chemistry between the two women is delightful, as they go from being wary allies to bitter enemies and back to allies, embracing each other desperately for comfort as the truth emerges. 

Watching over all of this is Manservant Lane and Butler Merriman, played in both roles with winking exasperation by Pranya Nagpal.

The wackadoodle part of the story is that both Cecily and Gwendolen have vowed they will only marry a man whose name is Earnest. Act III aims to sort out the mess and see if the couples can consummate their love and get married. I won’t spoil the ending! 

Mask and Bauble’s Earnest works very well in their small black box theater. The in-the-round stage consists of a raised oval platform covered with white and lavender tiles. On the platform are strategically placed trapdoors, where the actors gather and place props, or pull out benches and tables. Kudos to set designer Francis Rienzo and lead carpenter Joe Intagliata. 

The lighting was equally effective, changing on cue to bright yellow at a surprise, or red at an angry outburst. (Lighting designer: Mackenzie Pitsko; assistant lighting designer: Karina Satoskar.) 

Costumes also are spot-on and reflect popular perceptions of the Victorian era. I was especially impressed with Algernon’s dandy outfits that included his red silk house coat in Act I and stovepipe hat, tails, and bedazzled vest in Acts II and III. Lady Bracknell’s large hoopskirt and towering wig created a cartoonish vibe of the prudish era. (Costume designer: Lainey Lyle, assistant costume designer: Karina Satoskar.) 

Nagpal’s butler characters serve as an in-performance stage manager, overseeing the stagehands as they arrange props for each scene. Once she is satisfied that everything is in order, Nagpal gives a confident snap of the fingers, and the action resumes.

Director Jack Markowitz masterfully moves the cast around the small stage and surrounding areas. One moment in Act III stood out for me as characters took turns rotating on a small platform in center stage as their fates were being determined. 

It’s great to experience a well-done production in an intimate space where actors perform literally a few feet away from the audience. 

These actors truly embodied their characters, including the British accents, as they engaged in verbal sparring and physical comedy, flopping down on “sofas,” storming about the stage, and gorging on cucumber sandwiches and muffins. In one scene, Algernon and Cecily sat together directly in front of me, her curly-haired head resting on Algernon’s equally curly-haired head as dialogue took place elsewhere. I was convinced of the love.

This is Mask and Bauble’s fourth production of Earnest in its long history. The student-run drama society, founded in 1852, first mounted the show during its 1956/57 season. 

The show’s skewering of Victorian conventions around marriage, identity, class, and societal hypocrisy feels timeless. Wilde’s witticisms are the stuff of theater legend: “All women become like their mothers. That’s their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.” 

But Earnest is also famous for what happened shortly after the premiere. Wilde was accused and found guilty of “gross indecency,” or homosexual acts, which led to a two-year prison sentence and eventual exile in Paris. The scandal shut down the show prematurely.

Much has been said about homosexual subtexts in the play. Certainly, the idea of obscuring one’s true identity was a crucial practice in the gay community of Victorian England. 

But the play also lands simply as a funny farcical tale of young people finding love and bucking their parents. This production is definitely worth seeing!

Running Time: Approximately two hours with a 15-minute intermission.

The Importance of Being Earnest plays through November 8, 2026, presented by Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society, performing at Georgetown University in Poulton Hall, Stage III, 1421 37th Street NW, Washington, DC. Purchase tickets  ($10 for nonstudents and $5 for students) online. A limited number of first-come, first-served standby tickets are also available at the theater’s box office starting an hour before the showtime.

DIRECTING STAFF
Director……………………………………….. Jack Markowitz (CAS ’27)
Producer…………………………………………..Annie Howard (CAS ’29)
Stage Manager……………………………………..Katie Claes (SOH ’29)
Assistant Stage Manager……………….Georgia Biever (CAS ’30)
Assistant Stage Manager……………………….Aliz Kidd (CAS ’30)
Technical Director……………………………….Maya Ortner(CAS ’29)
Assistant Technical Director…………….Leah Galibois (SFS ’30)

CAST
Algernon Moncrieff…………………………….Sam Levinger (SFS ’29)
Jack Worthing………………………………..Albert Malhotra (CAS ’27)
Gwendolen Fairfax………………………………Claire Cable (CAS ’27)
Cecily Cardew………………………………Ruth Abramovitz (CAS ’27)
Lady Bracknell…………………………………..Drake Norris (CAS ’30)
Miss Prism…………………………………….Addison Golden (CAS ’29)
Reverend Canon Chasuble…………….Makenna Faddis (CAS ’29)
Manservant Lane / Butler Merriman…..Pranya Nagpal (SFS ’30)|

PRODUCTION STAFF
Co-Hair & Makeup Designer…………Marin Napolitano (CAS ’28)
Co-Hair & Makeup…………………………….Jillian Altherr (CAS ’29)
Assistant Hair & Makeup……………..Josie Holmgren (CAS ’30)
Publicity Director…………………………………..Ruby Lillie (CAS ’27)
Assistant Publicity Director……………Francis Rienzo (CAS ’27)
Dramaturg…………………………………….Paulina Inglima (CAS ’27)
Assistant Dramaturg……………………….Maren Fagan (CAS ’27)
Co-Cruise Director…………………………………Ruby Lillie (CAS ’27)
Co-Cruise Director………………………..Addison Golden (CAS ’29)
Build Crew…………………………………….. Julia Swanson (CAS ’28)
Run Crew…………………………………………… Jacob Levin (SFS ’29)
Run Crew………………………………….. Phoebe Busansky (CAS ’29)
Set Designer…………………………………..Francis Rienzo (CAS ’27)
Lead Carpenter………………………………..Joe Intagliata (SFS ’29)
Scenic Artist……………………………………Jay Jenkinson (CAS ’30)
Lighting Designer………………………..Mackenzie Pitsko (CAS ’28)
Assistant Lighting Designer………Karina Satoskar (SFS ’29)
Sound Mentor…………………………………Victoria Baioni (CAS ’27)
Sound Designer……………………………………Lina Anand (SFS ’30)
Assistant Sound Designer……..Sebastian Pallant (CAS ’30)
Props Designer………………………………. …Autumn Rain(CAS ’28)
Assistant Props Designer…………Alexis Giaquinta (CAS ’28)
Costumes Designer………………………………Lainey Lyle (SFS ’27)
Assistant Costumes Designer……Karina Satoskar (SFS ’29)