The plot is twisted and preposterous, the characters silly and shallow, but The Importance of Being Earnest is one of Oscar Wilde's most loved plays. A skewering satire, it boasts some of the wittiest dialogue in theater as it pierces hypocrisies of the Victorian society in which Wilde lived.
To crown this Roundabout Theatre Company production, director Brian Bedford assumes the role of dauntless Lady Bracknell, a female "gorgon" in brocade ruled by opinions such as, "I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone."
The three-act play with two intermissions is now revived at the American Airlines Theater. The story involves two Ernests, neither of whom is actually named Ernest. Algernon Moncrieff (Santino Fontana) feels that his life in the country is stifling so he created an alter-ego, Ernest, who lives in London. When Algernon runs off to visit the ailing "Ernest," he is actually on the town with his chum, Jack Worthing (David Furr).
Jack is in love with Gwendolyn (Sara Topham), who is Lady Bracknell's daughter and Algernon's cousin. Since she tells him she can only love a man named Ernest, a name she feels inspires confidence, Jack tells her his name is Ernest, and they get engaged. (Yes, it is ridiculous.) Lady Bracknell forbids the marriage, after learning that Jack/Ernest is an orphan: "To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness."
Adding to the dizziness, Algernon discovers that Jack has his own secret country life. He is the guardian of a young lady, Cecily (Charlotte Parry) who lives on Jack's estate in the country with her governess/companion, Miss Prism (Dana Ivey), who has eyes for the local reverend Chasuble (Paxton Whitehead). Algernon decides to secretly visit Jack's estate and surprise the mysterious Cecily, saying he is Jack's fictional reprobate brother, Ernest. It is love at first sight for Algernon and Cecily.
When Jack, Gwendolyn and Lady Bracknell arrive at the estate, identities and lineages collide. Eventually -- and with complicated manipulations -- the problem of the two false Ernests is cleared up. "I've now realized for the first time in my life the vital Importance of being Earnest," exclaims one of the new Ernests.
Wilde's characters provide a ping-pong of smart, hilarious dialogue. Fontana and Furr toss their lines with a refined superficiality. Gwendolyn is exquisitely dainty and believes, "In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing." Charlotte Parry's Cecily is a young charmer but somewhat bland.
In his Act I appearance, Paul O'Brien is outstanding as Algernon's major domo, Lane. Ivey and Whitehead present convincing portrayals. Bedford, however, is peerless, spicing Lady Bracknell with stern authority, landing her lines firmly, her voice lowering or rising with polished nuance. The laughs flow from actors who never let the ball drop.
Sets and costumes by Desmond Heeley and Paul Huntley's wig and hair design all add spring-like flavoring to the sparkling ambience of this production. He dresses Lady Bracknell in formidable elaborate fabrics with exaggerated hats.
After 116 years, The Importance of Being Earnest remains a treat for audiences. Unfortunately for Wilde, shortly after the play's first performance, he became involved in a libel trial that led to imprisonment for two years at hard labor for being a homosexual, an assault by the society he skewered so deftly in this play.
