A Review

Verbal Jousting With The Upper Crust

By R. J. Donovan

In the wrong hands, Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" can be a three-act dirge. Happily, that's not the case at Lyric Stage Company of Boston, which is completing its season with a crisp and funny presentation of the classic piece. A satirical comedy of manners, this was Wilde's final play and ranks as his most popular.

A "must-read" in most every high school English class, "Earnest" is set in Victorian London near the turn of the century. The play's inhabitants are those of the highest birth who regularly attend smart dinner parties and live lives "crowded with incident."

The two main characters, Algernon and Jack, have both created alter egos for their own amusement. For Jack, this means having one identity to enjoy the sophistication of the city and a second to experience the more serene life of the country. Algernon, on the other hand, has created a fictitious friend, Bunbury, a permanent invalid in need of attention, who serves as an alibi when he wants to escape unwanted social situations.

Jack becomes his own brother, "Ernest," for his London jaunts. Simultaneously, Algernon, in an effort to court Jack's beautiful young ward Cecily, travels to her side (in the country) impersonating his own version of Ernest.

Conflict rears its ugly head when the two faux identities cross paths. Algernon (as the country Ernest) falls in love with Cecily. In the meantime, Jack (as the city Ernest) has fallen in love with Algernon's cousin, Gwendolen, whose mother is not at all happy -- about anything. Eventually, the two young women meet, with each claiming to have become betrothed to the same man -- Ernest.

Everyone in the cast is top-notch, with Lewis D. Wheeler as Algernon, the boyish playboy who noshes on cucumber sandwiches, and Ed Hoopman as Jack, who exudes a refined Victorian agitation. (In particular, Hoopman has a wonderful resonance to his voice).

Hannah Barth is Gwendolen, all confidence and youth, and Jessica Grant is the bubbly Cecily, a bit naive in the way the protected sometimes are, who keeps a diary of things that have never happened to her. The two ladies have fun in Act III as they collaborate on suitable punishment for their naughty men.

Rounding out the company are: Dafydd Rees as Merriman, the silently suffering country butler; Elizabeth Gotha as Miss Prism, Cecily's governess and the proprietress of intellectual pleasures; and Bob Jolly in two roles as Lane, Algernon's manservant, and Chasuble, the country minister.

The finely spun sparkle of the production comes via Bobbie Steinbach (top photo) as Gwendolen's velvet-fisted mother (and Algernon's aunt), Lady Bracknell. Steinbach delivers every piercing line with a sterling silver dagger, whether commenting on the appalling state of education in England, the question of a lady's age or having confidence in the fatal opinion of one's physician.

The language is sharp and witty, the play is carefully constructed and Wilde's not-so-subtle commentary pokes fun at the excess and pomposity of the upper crust, who seem to have little to do with their time beyond sipping tea and passing judgment on the absurdities of life.

Director Spiro Veloudos keeps the brilliance whirling with refined pomp, set designer Brynna Bloomfield has created a simple framework that lends itself nicely to the locations of the three acts, and Gail Astrid Buckley once again shows her skill by fashioning impeccably detailed Victorian costumes.

Wilde was a true comedian of his time, and "The Importance of Being Earnest" continues to shine brightly a century after it's introduction.

"The Importance of Being Earnest" is at Lyric Stage, 140 Clarendon Street in Boston, through June 7. For information, call 617-585-5678.

-- OnStage Boston

05/16/08

 

 
 
 
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