Review: 'The Importance Of Being Earnest' Offers Some Laughs
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
If you've never been introduced to the sarcastic and witty works of Oscar Wilde, then Wagon Wheel Theatre's production of "The Importance of Being Earnest" is a good place to start.
Co-directed by Ben Dicke and Andy Robinson, the play offers some moments of comedy and instances of hilarity.
For a quick synopsis of the story, "Importance" centers around two guys in late 19th century Victorian England who like to pretend to be someone else to have fun. When they both meet the girls they'd like to marry, their fictitious names cause them a bit of trouble.
John "Jack" Worthing (Nick Laughlin) has a place in the country, where his ward, Cecily Cardew (Kayla Roy), knows him as Jack. When Jack goes into the city, he tells Cecily and her governess, Miss Prism (Sophie Grimm), that he's going to visit his brother, Ernest. Jack doesn't have a brother.
Jack is in love with Gwendolen Fairfas (Caitlin Mesiano), who lives in the city and knows him as Ernest.
Algernon (Ari Frenkel) tells his aunt, Lady Bracknell (Dannielle Robertson) and cousin Gwendolen) that he's going to visit his sick friend Bunbury when he wants to get away. However, when Algernon takes a secret trip to Jack's country estate, he tells Cecily that he is Ernest, and Algernon is instantly smitten with Cecily.
Both Cecily and Gwendolen have always dreamed of marrying a guy named Ernest.
The other characters in the show include Algernon's manservant, Lane (Matt Gottlieb); Jack's manservant, Merriman (Zachary McConnell); and the Rev. Canon Chasuble (Dave Adamick). Chasuble and Prism also seem to be carrying on with one another to some extent.
From the get-go of the Wagon Wheel production of the play, Frenkel is the scene stealer. In the 2002 movie version, Algernon was played by Rupert Everett. Frenkel does the role better. He delivers his lines flawlessly with great mannerism and style. Frenkel carries himself in such a manner that it's easy to believe he acts that way as he does in the show all the time.
Casting Frenkel as Algernon was a perfect choice. Could he do the role of Jack? Probably, but Frenkel brings Algernon alive with all his idiosyncrasies that to cast him as another character would have been a shame.
Since Frenkel was the best choice for Algernon, then Laughlin was a good choice for Jack. It is because of the way Laughlin and Frenkel play off each other that makes "Importance" that much better.
In the entire show, nothing is as out-loud funny as Algernon and Jack fighting over the muffins. The audience opening night laughed during many parts of the show, but they rolled during the muffin scene. Props to not only Frenkel's and Laughlin's performance of that scene, but the co-directors' direction. It is as it should be.
The young ladies of the men's affection, Gwendolen and Cecily, are easily the stereotypes of proper women of the time. They're materialistic, impatient, vain and narcissistic.
One moment they hate each other, the next moment they are best friends. They can wait forever for their men to return, but not if it's more than a few minutes.
Roy and Mesiano play them dead on. Both of the young women are easy on the eyes, but in these performances, the audience gets to see their talent, too.
Of course, opening night several of the actors seemed to stumble a bit over their lines. Once or twice, it may not have been noteworthy. However, when it happened enough that other people mentioned it to me in passing, then it became something else. I didn't need to be told about it to notice it though as it was blatant.
I'm confident as the play progresses, it will be taken care of and it won't be an issue. Plus, there's a lot of dialogue in this play, especially for the main five characters (there's only nine total in the show). But opening night, the stumbling of lines caught my attention and the attention of others.
In the show, Lady Bracknell is probably the "villain" of the show. She's controlling, manipulative, vain and some rather unflattering other words.
Robertson does OK in the role, but, for me, her performance seemed a bit too forced. I didn't "feel" her performance like I did the others' performances. Her performance seemed almost so different than the other cast members' that it almost zapped the comedy out of the show when she was on stage.
Robertson definitely can play a villainous role, but just not in a comedy. Or, at least, not the one in "The Importance of Being Earnest".
In some of the smaller roles in the play, there's good laughs to be had.
As the manservants, McConnell and Gottlieb deliver the laughs just by walking onto the stage.
McConnell's character walks hunched over, and McConnell never forgets to do it. He's probably early twenties in real life, but he carries himself on stage in the role of Merriman as if he's four times that.
Lane takes the blame for Algernon's follies whenever necessary. Gottlieb delivers the excuses and apologies with an inner sarcastic sigh that is fun to watch and listen.
Miss Prism is a bit forgetful, while the Rev. Chasuble isn't as celibate as he thinks people believe he is. Grimm and Adamick bring those qualities and more to their role, giving good support to the lead roles.
Speaking of support, the set design by Michael Higgins is immaculate and the costume design by Stephen R. Hollenbeck is top notch. Hollywood should be calling these guys, if they haven't yet. Higgins, Hollenbeck and their crews all deserve a share of the standing ovations this play will surely get.All in all, Dicke's and Robinson's direction turned out a play Wilde himself probably would have delighted in. They made notice in 2009 of their directorial talent with "Brighton Beach Memoirs", and confirmed it again this year with "Earnest".
Between Dicke, Robinson, guest director Tony Humrichouser ("Godspell") and artistic director Scott Michaels, the Wagon Wheel Theatre has a handful of impressive directors to choose from for the future.
My rating of "The Importance of Being Earnest" (out of four): 3.6.
To order tickets or for more information about upcoming events at the Wagon Wheel, call the box office at 574-267-8041, toll free at 866-823-2618 or visit online at www.wagonwheeltheatre.com
