The idle rich were just as interesting 115 years ago as they are today in reality television shows. Those with doubts should watch “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde, now playing at the Long Beach Playhouse. There is something compelling about the schemes and double-dealing of the human nature, whatever the century may be.
The tale of misdirection begins with a meeting between Algernon (Paul Griffiths) and Earnest (Matt Landig) and the revelation that Earnest has a secret identity. The language of the play is a type of high satire on the British upper class that, by today’s standards, borders on the stereotypical. However, this move is not only intentional, but downright essential for this type of play which, at the time, sought to lampoon the aristocracy.
There is a musicality and mesmerizing factor to the banter and clever wit between Griffiths and Landig. The two men trade lines like old friends, playfully jabbing at the intellect and dreams of his counterpart.
Earnest has the intent to propose to the empowered, if not flighty, Gwendolen (Elizabeth Ginnett) but first must get past her oh-so-proper mother, Lady Bracknell (Carmen Lynne.)
Lynne is the perfect representation of the over-inflated matriarch who believes that to truly understand your spouse you must know as little about them as possible.
In the few precious moments that Earnest and Gwendolen have alone, he proposes and she accepts, because she always knew that she would love a man named Earnest. Determined to win Gwendolen’s heart, Earnest retreats to the country to be christened properly as Earnest, instead of his true identity as John. Algernon, bored and interested in the fact that Earnest has been hiding away his young ward from him, decides to follow.
Sweet, naïve Cecily (Daina Bowler) is the ward of the man she knows as John, who, she has been told, has a never seen miscreant younger brother named Earnest. When Algernon shows up pretending to be a soon-to-be reformed Earnest, Cecily falls madly in love with the bad boy because his name is Earnest.
An extremely humorous scene comes together when Cecily and Gwendolen meet and discover that they are engaged to the same man. The scene creates such a pleasant tension that the actors must sometimes wait for the audience to stop laughing.
Teri Ciranna as Mrs. Prism and Tim Forsyth as Rev. Canon Chasuble fill out the remainder of the play as endearing comic reliefs. Their characters might not be featured as prominently, but the play would surely be lesser without their presence.
A special note must also be put in for the costuming and set design. The costumes give credence to the time period without making the characters out to be too stuffy. The way the well suited men and overly corseted women carry themselves is fascinating to watch. There are several moments where it’s easy to forget you’re watching a show and slip into the world of class and culture.
Trouble ensues, true love is put in jeopardy, truths are revealed and all questions are answered. This is atypical for the plays of its time. There are rumors of revolution but they are dismissed as a movement of the poor. At the time, this would have unnerved the audience watching.
There is something in the way the language is spoken and manners are observed that calls on a desire for a more polite time when chivalry was not an abstract concept but a core value. While the play is wrought with humor, both subtle and outright, it never resorts to any type of vulgarity or low-brow antics.
“The Importance of Being Earnest” will play at the Long Beach Playhouse now through Oct. 9. For ticket information, visit lbplayhouse.org.
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