{"id":357711,"date":"2024-08-01T17:30:43","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T21:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?p=357711"},"modified":"2024-08-01T17:30:43","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T21:30:43","slug":"wickedly-funny-importance-of-being-earnest-at-american-shakespeare-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2024\/08\/01\/wickedly-funny-importance-of-being-earnest-at-american-shakespeare-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Wickedly funny ‘Importance of Being Earnest’ at American Shakespeare Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having already advised you, dear reader, of \u201csomething wicked<\/a>\u201d currently playing at Staunton, Virginia\u2019s Blackfriars Playhouse, I can further recommend something wickedly funny to round out your visit with American Shakespeare Center\u2019s current acting company.<\/p>\n

Macbeth<\/em> may be a great study of the evil that lurks in our hearts, but Oscar Wilde\u2019s The Importance of Being Earnest<\/em> is a truly delectable study of our pomposity and cluelessness. Chock full of immortal aphorisms and gags to keep you in stitches, Jos\u00e9 Zayas\u2019 production of this Wilde classic fits the unique ambiance of the Blackfriars perfectly \u2014 where the lights stay on and the actors constantly throw their best one-liners right into your lap.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Angela Iannone as Lady Bracknell in \u2018The Importance of Being Earnest.\u2019 Photo by October Grace Media.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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<\/em> fireplace painted on canvas upstage. It\u2019s a hint of the ways in which fa\u00e7ades and fakery define Wilde\u2019s world and his characters, reality notwithstanding.<\/p>\n

As becomes clear early on, both of the young bachelors here \u2014 Algernon and Jack \u2014 thrive on dual identities, adopting one persona in the city and another in the country. The discussion of \u201cBunburyism\u201d 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<\/em> to personal advantage. Especially when one considers one\u2019s romantic objectives.<\/p>\n

Our bachelors here are a great match: as Algernon Montcrieff, Britt Michael Gordon\u2019s insouciance and nonstop jokes at the expense of society (and himself) find their foil in K. P. Powell\u2019s Jack Worthing \u2014 with Powell playing straight man to Gordon\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t help that the two ladies who are the objects of their affections \u2014 Summer England\u2019s Gwendolen Fairfax and Sara Linares\u2019 Cecily Cardew \u2014 have their hearts set on marrying men with just the right name \u2014 Ernest, naturally, must<\/em> be the man of their dreams. That they might be better off looking into their beaux\u2019s 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\u2019Reilly, a proper klutz if there ever was one) desperately trying to avoid getting hit by bits of flying cakes and sugar lumps.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.)<\/p>\n

\"\"
TOP: K.P. Powell as Jack Worthing and Britt Michael Gordon as Algernon Moncrieff; ABOVE: Sara Linares as Cecily Cardew and Summer England as Gwendolen Fairfax in \u2018The Importance of Being Earnest.\u2019 Photos by October Grace Media.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u2019s classic \u201cThe Way You Make Me Feel,\u201d followed by Sara Linares\u2019 wonderful take on Julieta Venegas\u2019 \u201cMe Voy.\u201d 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\u2019s is even uttered.<\/p>\n

But wait, there\u2019s more \u2014 we are treated to two<\/em> 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\u2019 \u201cMy Old Man Said Follow the Van.\u201d And the second intermission finds the ensemble rendering Ed Sheeran\u2019s \u201cI Don\u2019t Care\u201d as a nice segue into the final act.<\/p>\n

There is so much to recommend to one\u2019s sensibilities here \u2014 for humor, for music, for fine costuming \u2014 that I\u2019m afraid I might run on too long with this review. Rest assured, you\u2019ll be dazzled and smiling the whole night through for this production of The Importance of Being Earnest.<\/em><\/p>\n

Running Time: Two hours and 30 minutes, including two intermissions.<\/p>\n

The Importance of Being Ernest<\/strong><\/em><\/a> plays through October 20, 2024, (in repertory with\u00a0 Macbeth<\/em><\/strong><\/a> through November 23,\u00a0The Merry Wives of Windsor<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0from September 12 to November 23, and\u00a0Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0from October 17 to November 24) presented by\u00a0American Shakespeare Center<\/a>\u00a0at the Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 South Market Street, Staunton, VA. For tickets ($28\u2013$73), call the box office at (540) 851-3400, or purchase them\u00a0online.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Cast and artistic team credits for The Importance of Being Ernest<\/em>\u00a0are online\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0(scroll down).<\/p>\n

SEE ALSO:<\/strong>
\nA \u2018Macbeth\u2019 for our moment at American Shakespeare Center <\/a><\/strong>(review by Andrew Walker White, July 23, 2024)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A truly delectable study of pomposity and cluelessness, chock full of aphorisms and gags to keep you in stitches. By ANDREW WALKER WHITE<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":357716,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,18],"tags":[1430,795],"class_list":{"0":"post-357711","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured","8":"category-reviews","9":"tag-jose-zayas","10":"tag-oscar-wilde"},"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nWickedly funny 'Importance of Being Earnest' at American Shakespeare Center - 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