| On the Wilde Side | | Print | |
| Written by M. J, Garland | |
| Thursday, 01 February 2007 | |
 Oscar Wilde was a man of words, wit and wonderment. Wilde was WILD. The Importance of Being Earnest is a play that has always been near and dear to my heart. It is very possibly Oscar Wilde’s most brilliant play, which is saying a lot since he is considered to be amongst Europe's best and brightest playwrights. It's not widely known that the most difficult thing about The Importance of Being Earnest is the set: Three acts, three locations; two interiors and one exterior. Location number one is the home of Algernon (a flamboyant, carefree young man born into money), number two is the outside garden of Jack's Manor House (Jack is the other main lead and has an ambiguous origin) and location three is the interior of the Manor House. This has always proven very difficult for theatre companies and, considering the lack of space in Williamsburg Players' facility, it was handled brilliantly. Most people have an act two garden that is merely suggested - this was fully created. I may not agree with the dark color choices for the three locations but that is personal choice.
CRISTA BERGMANN and VIRGINIA CRITES designed the costumes and deserve mention. The women’s costumes fare best, especially Gwendolen’s and Cecily’s act two and three costumes. The men’s costumes are nice but nothing to write home about - they are dark with no color or flair to enhance the characters. Now the greatest of great is actually an accessory. I love this kind of attention to detail... Gwendolen’s glasses are actually a necklace which folds up into a heart/magnifying glass. This may seem small to some but this is the type of detail for which true designers really deserve credit.
Others to mention are John “Jack” Worthing played by JOHN CAUTHEN. On other stages, Mr. Cauthen tends to play the over-the-top character, and this show requires him to be the somber, low-keyed character. Most of the time he carries it off but occasionally the director lets him get away with a little too much, mainly in act three.
This brings me to Lady Bracknell played by JANE UNDERHILL. I warmed up to Ms. Underhill in act three where she has her best moments. Most of her playing in act one is too far over the top compared to everyone else. It was hard to tell if she had committed to her own concept of her role regardless of the actors around her or if she just didn't recognize that her interpretation didn't fit in. She spends much of the show with a loud piercing voice and it isn’t until act three that she tones it down a little and becomes truly funny. Now the remaining two I need to mention are Gwendolen Fairfax played by LAURA APELT* and Cecily Cardew played by JENNIE KELLY. These two women are wonderful together and I wished they were together on stage more often. Their pacing for this production is just right. Together is when they are the strongest but they also help the others when on stage with them. These ladies bring things out in the men that aren’t there in other scenes. I debated a long time as to whether these two women were good separately or just together, and as I continued to watch the production I realized that scenes are just better when they are in them. This is a fun evening and a good production so I encourage you to catch it. In a nutshell, if this cast could cut about five minutes off of each act by just picking up the pacing, this production would be, not just funny (as it is) but down and out hilarious. For more information go to www.williamsburgplayers.org or call 757-229-0431 for reservations. This production runs through February 17, 2007
*Disclaimer: Laura Apelt is a staff member and writer for onhamptonroads.com. |
This set is brilliantly designed 
The most unusual character interpretation in the play came from STEVE STACY as Algernon Moncrieff.