The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde's experiment in Victorian melodrama, is part satire, part comedy of manners, and part intellectual farce. Originally a three-act play set in London and Hertfordshire, the OnStage Playhouse production is moved to Manhattan and the Hamptons, updated about half a century, changed to two acts, and has one minor character eliminated.
My first question is, what would Oscar Wilde think of this production had he not died 106 years ago in Paris? I can reflect back two years on an excellent production performed at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, and staged as Oscar Wilde had written. Although much different, I conjecture that Wilde would have been amused by director Abby Lacey's interpretation. Her production embodies the spirit and essential dialogue of the original.
Jack Worthing (Dustin Kisler), the guardian of Cecily Cardew (Jenna Dawsey), lives in The Hamptons. Also in the household is Cecily's governess, Miss Prism (Paola Hornbuckle). The Reverend Chausible (Bob Christiansen) presides, somewhat loosely, over the morals of the community.
Meanwhile back in Manhattan, Jack takes on the persona of Earnest, his non-existent brother. His best friend is Algernon Moncrief (Enoch Wu). The two friends contrast nicely. Mrs. Bracknell (Kelly Lapczynski), Algernon's snobbish and mercenary aunt, attempts to dominate one and all. Her daughter, Gwendolyn Fairfax (Layla Stuckey), is in love with Earnest -- ah, er, Jack.
The Importance of Being Earnest opens with butler McLean (Robert McChristian), replete in red hair and neatly-trimmed beard, serving Earnest and Algernon. The character is overstated and extremely amusing.
As the plot thickens, we find that Earnest is as much a play on words as a name. It becomes much more difficult when two young ladies are both enamored with the name as well as the men they attach it to.
The first act set-up is slow. McChristian adds amusing moments; however, the dialogue between Kisler and Wu seems awkward. The players broadly interpret the aspects of farce instead of the delightfulness of satire. Lapczynski's Mrs. Bracknell is extremely abrasive. She plays her role with conviction, so she's a person we easily love to dislike.
Stuckey's Gwendolyn is very sweet and gentle. Dawsey plays Cecily as a young teenager aggressively determined to conquer Algernon, proving once again that males are never a match for a determined female. Hornbuckle, as governess Miss Prism, is a study in contrasts as she shifts from a quite proper teacher to a woman with other interests. Christiansen returns in a second role as the good Reverend Chausible. While always toting his bible, Reverend Chausible has his own agenda.
Bruce Wilde's first-act New York apartment set transforms nicely into a garden area in the Hamptons. Rosemary King's painting touches help create a convincing apartment, while lattice work and rose vines beautify the second act. Gary Brengle's sound and lighting design complement the environment. Dean Huston's costumes work well for the characters.
Though The Importance of Being Earnest is one of Oscar Wilde's most charming pieces, I have a bit of trouble with Algernon and Jack's relationship. It seems like the whole cast is directed to punch the humor too enthusiastically, to the point of overacting. Still, much is redeemed in a fast-paced second act as the plot thickens.
