The Importance of Being Earnest...A Moveable Feast

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Theatre Review by Christina Manolescu</MARQUEE>

Oscar Wilde's theatrical 'jewel in the crown,' staged at the Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre, in co-production with Soulpepper Theatre Company, is a delectable feast of language, sophisticated wordplay and ironic witticisms.

Directed by Ben Barnes, former artistic director of Ireland's famous Abbey Theatre, Irish-born Wilde's satirical comedy proves itself to be evergreen.

Peter Hartwell's imaginative stage setting, shifted forward from the original to the 1920's era, and the actors' finely simulated British tones add an authenticity of flavour, as precise and delicate as Lady Bracknell's vanishing cucumber sandwiches.

Consider the characters: Wilde's ladies, the seemingly double-jointed, grey-haired Miss Prism (Brenda Robins), with literary pretensions and a shadowy past. Radiant, high-spirited Cecily (Samantha Espie), heiress to a country estate. Wilful, sophisticated town beauty Gwendolyn (Patricia Fagan), destined to be as autocratic as her mother, the formidable Lady Bracknell (Nancy Palk).

Driving the intricate dramatic plot, their male counterparts, a dissembling pair of comic rivals, Algernon and Jack (Damien Atkins and Ben Carlson) conduct an articulate sparring match, displaying a 'friendship' of mutual distrust, a perpetual contest of beliefs and ideas. Kevin Bundy is superb in his dual role as their town&country, alternately jaded versus browbeaten manservant.

Described as a perfectly structured play, "Earnest" contrasts the genteel dissipation of town living with the more wholesome variety of country life. Wilde delights in confounding his audience, poking delicate fun at the privileged British aristocracy and the insufferably comic arrogance which merely their wealth seems to generate. His unrelenting dialogue - an elegant comedic rant voiced by the cynical, freeloading Algernon - routs all their established traditions and conventions, turning them deliberately 'on their head.'

Privilege is pitted against poverty, the 'lower orders' against the upper classes, pragmatic materialism against unbridled romanticism, self-interest against altruism, truth against deception. Wilde's roguish take on the classic literary convention of the high-born 'orphan foundling' - Dickensian Oliver Twist, for example - is to stretch this ploy to ever more ludicrous heights. Nothing is sacred to the playwright's touch: quirky passions and secret scandals are unveiled, tarnishing the staunch facade of late 'Victorian' morality. Even the established Church, as embodied by the didactic, amorous Reverend Chasuble, (Oliver Dennis) is gently mocked.

However, in retrospect, that same 'Moral Society' of Wilde's generation exacted its cold revenge; slowly, but surely, it would one day bring him down.



As usual following the play, some of the actors and/or designers will remain on stage to take questions from the audience. Monday Night Talkbacks provides an intimate opportunity for audiences to engage up close and personal with the personalities bringing first class professional English language theatre to Montreal. Combined with lower rates for this evening, Monday night performances have become an outstanding package that true theatre buffs cannot resist.

Sunday-@-the-Saidye: November 6, 11:00 am

Opening Night: Thurday, November 10, 8:00pm
Run: November 6-27

Performances:

Monday-Thursday, 8:00pm
Saturday, 8:30
Sunday, 7:00 pm
Matinées: Wednesdays, 1:00pm / Sundays, 2:00 pm
Box Office: (514) 739-7944
5170 cote St. Catherine Rd.
www.saidyebronfman.org
Admission 790-1245
www.admission.com


MONTREAL October 2005 – The 2005-06 season of First Class Theatre continues as Artistic Director Bryna Wasserman proudly welcomes this co-production with Soulpepper. Helmed by esteemed director Ben Barnes it features a cast and design team that includes some of Canada’s brightest theatre artists.

The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy of manners filled with delicious language in which two friends, Jack and Algernon, create fictitious alter egos, both pretending to be the black sheep Ernest. Respectively, they are in love with Gwendolyn and Cecily, two young ladies who both want to marry a man named Ernest. The intelligent wit of Wilde playfully pokes fun at the importance placed on social definitions and norms rather than the essence of the person. Through mistaken identities and hilarious quips, he creates one of the great English comedies as everyone tries to find, be, or not be, "Earnest".

Internationally acclaimed Irish director, Ben Barnes, considers Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest as the greatest comedy of the 19th century, comparing it to As You Like It, The Way of The World and She Stoops to Conquer. In a fresh read, Barnes saw a resemblance to the stylized world of 18th century opera, specifically the shenanigans of the love quartet in Cosi fan Tutte. He concludes, “I finally decided that the play itself had enough personality for us all and to leave well enough alone. I settled for some operatic echoes in the staging.” Barnes was also inspired by the idea of Wilde being ultimately brought down by the same fusty late-Victorians whom he so skilfully and savagely lampooned in his plays.

Soulpepper exploded onto the Toronto stage in 1998 and the company quickly achieved a reputation as an exemplary theatre company, combining classical theatre, outreach and artist training. This co-pro is very exciting, as The Segal has partnered with the company from the start. For the first time in this long relationship, a production will be launched in Montreal then move to Toronto. Wasserman has been working towards this for some time, “I am so pleased with the symbiosis the union is taking.”

The inspired team bringing Wilde’s world to life includes actors previously seen on The Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre stage: Damien Atkins, fresh from his acclaimed performance as the MC in Cabaret; Brenda Robins and Patricia Fagan, last seen in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; Kevin Bundy from Hedda Gabler and Samantha Espie from Jerusalem-The Musical; New to The Segal are Soulpepper members Ben Carlson, Oliver Dennis and Nancy Palk. The experienced and highly creative design team features Peter Hartwell (set), David Boechler (costumes), Luc Prairie (lights) and Troy Slocum (sound). Christina Hidalgo returns to The Segal Theatre as stage manager with Malina Patel as assistant stage manager.

An important element of The Segal Theatre’s mandate is to present the classics to a new generation of theatregoers. In this context, the Theatre is delighted that over 1300 students have already booked for this anticipated production.

“The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life. “ Oscar Wilde