"The Importance of Being Earnest" is Oscar Wilde's most enduring play, and it was his last.
More than 115 years after its debut at the St. James Theatre in London, the Wagon Wheel Theatre is presenting the romantic comedy now through Aug. 14. It's the 2010 summer season's only non-musical.
Playing the lead role of Jack Worthing is Nick Laughlin. Audiences may remember Laughlin as Mungojerrie in "Cats", Dennis in "All Shook Up" or Nick in "Godspell".
"My character is searching for his identity the whole show because he was adopted," said Laughlin in an interview Monday afternoon. "He wants to marry Gwendolen, but her mother (Lady Bracknell) won't allow it until he knows his background. I use the name Ernest to come into town and be another person. That gets me in trouble in the end."
Cecily Cardew is the granddaughter of Thomas Cardew and becomes the ward of Jack Worthing after Thomas dies. She lives at Jack's country house in Hertfordshire. Her governess is Laetitia Prism, played in the Wagon Wheel production by Sophie Grimm.
Grimm played Ethel Toffelmeir in "The Music Man" and Sophie in "Godspell".
Laughlin said "The Importance of Being Earnest" is his first straight play since high school. He's only done musicals since then. It's his first lead in a non-musical, too.
Grimm also hasn't been in a non-musical play for just as long. It's been one musical after another. She said it's been nice that Wagon Wheel Artistic Director Scott Michaels has allowed the actors to be versatile in their roles.
It's also nice to not have to sing or do a solo for this show, Laughlin said. It does feature some music, but the play is not a musical. The song sets up the atmosphere of the play.
Grimm said the song is satirical and is a send-up of the time in London. The song and the play are definitely accessible to today's audiences, she said.
There are little gags and bits of humor to keep the audience engaged, Grimm said. There is definitely some over-the-top humor in it, said Laughlin.
Wilde brings the audiences into a musical setting with the play, Grimm said, in terms of heightened reality. "He brings you into another world," she said.
"It's like a musical but without songs," agreed Laughlin.
"Importance" is directed for the Wagon Wheel by guest directors Ben Dicke and Andy Robinson. Besides having performed on the Wagon Wheel Theatre stage themselves, the two men directed "Brighton Beach Memoirs" in 2009.
Going into rehearsals for the show, Grimm said there was some trepidation that the two directors might pull the actors into two different directions. But she said they both have been wonderful and they are on the same page as directors.
Laughlin said the directors gave the actors outlines of what they were supposed to do, but let the actors help fill in and give the characters shape.
Learning the language of Wilde hasn't really been hard for Laughlin, he said. But there were some jokes where the full meaning didn't come out to the actors until later, he said.
"This play has some laugh-out-loud humor and some snickers," said Grimm. "The show, there's so much to it, it's like a layered show. The more you listen, the more you'll get it."
Laughlin said the physical comedy in the show will have the audiences laughing out loud, and the text of the play is very smart.
The gift of doing "Importance" in the round, said Grimm, is that the actors get to be so natural. As long as an actor is open, they get to talk to anyone they want in any direction.
"Depending where you are sitting, you get a different look to the show. You can see characters doing different things," said Grimm.
And there are some different characters in "The Importance of Being Earnest".
Algernon Moncrieff is Gwendolen's first cousin, nephew of Lady Bracknell and Jack's best friend. "We fight all the time," said Laughlin of Jack's and Algy's friendship.
"The two butlers are very funny and audiences will remember them, though they're not in the show very often," said Grimm.
Lane is Algy's butler, and Merriman is Jack's butler.
"The butlers are the people audiences can relate to the most," Grimm said.
Laughlin said that's because the other characters in the play are rich British people with too much time on their hands.
The play takes place around 1895 in Victorian London. Grimm said the costumes made for the Wagon Wheel production to establish that time period are very beautiful. Costume designer Stephen R. Hollenbeck actually made the corsets and petticoats, and all the dresses were made from scratch.
"The set brings you into that world, too," said Grimm.
Laughlin said they had to work on their posture. For rehearsal, they would wear vests and nice shoes and practice walking. Going from "Importance" rehearsals in the morning to "Godspell" shows at night was a study in contrasts, he said.But whether someone likes the smart wording or the physical comedy, Grimm and Laughlin said there's something in the play for the whole family.
"The biggest thing is that audiences will have a good time. There's no need to be scared," said Grimm.
"It's definitely a family show," said Laughlin.
Single adult tickets are $30 for all shows. Tickets for students 13 through college are $16, and children 12 and under are $12. Opening nights and matinees are $22 for seniors. Special rates are available for groups of 15 or more.
To order tickets or for more information about upcoming events at the Wagon Wheel Theatre in Warsaw, call the box office at 574-267-8041 or toll-free at 866-823-2618. You can also visit online at www.wagonwheeltheatre.com
