Theatre
& Stage
reviews by SalsaChicago.com critic Al Bresloff
The
Importance of Being Earnest (thru Dec 26)
by Al Bresloff
The Court Theatre is having a wonderful year
and audiences who attend its Golden Anniversary
season, made up of "Classics Like You've Never
Seen Before" are in for a real treat with
Oscar Wilde's hilarious "The Importance
of Being Earnest". The story is one that
makes fun of the English "upper class" with
a light hearted satire. Director Charles Newell
has assembled a classic cast to play these
classic characters and he moves them about
the stage with the greatest of style and grace.
Many of these actors are one's that we are
used to seeing in musicals, more than straight
comedies (let alone , true farce), but they
are masterful under Mr. Newell's direction.
The play focuses on Jack and Algernon, two
young men in love with girls who are determined
to marry a man named Ernest. Jack (the very
smooth Sean Allan Krill) has an alter ego
he calls his brother Ernest allowing him to
visit the city and be wild. Algernon (played
rather stylishly by Lance Stuart Baker, who
knows how to get a laugh) also has an alter
ego that allows him to leave the city and
go to the country to sow his oats.
Algernon
goes to the country to meet with Jack and
upon meeting Jack's ward Cecily ( the always
tasteful Cristen Paige) and takes on the role
of "brother Ernest" as she falls
in love with him. Meanwhile Jack who in the
city is Ernest is visited by his love Gwendolen
(Chicago favorite Heidi Kettenring) who will
only wed him as Ernest. So, we have two men
who claim to be named Ernest and aren't very
earnest about who they really are and we have
two girls who are in love with men named Ernest
who in fact aren't' earnest at all. The charade
leads to confusion, confessions, declarations
of love and above all three acts of laughter,
laughter, laughter. Even the smaller roles
are cast perfectly Penny Slusher is perfect
as Miss Prism, Bill McGough as the Rev.Cannon
Chasuble and Maury Cooper in the two butler
roles (one in the country, one in the city),
and Mary Beth Fisher will astound you with
her perfect comic timing as Lady Bracken who
despite her snobbishness has some secrets
of her own. This is a great rendition of the
play that has been termed " the perfect comedy".
The
sets by Geoffrey M. Curley are wonderful with
act one being the city home of Algernon but
with every fixture representing a replica
of a landmark of England, act two being a
courtyard/garden at Jack's country manor (hedges
and trees that are divine) and act three the
library in Jack's home. If you can, stay and
enjoy watching the backstage folk do the transformations
during intermission; it is like a show within
a show. Douglas Peck at the piano never leaves
the stage and keeps adding just the right
touch of music for the mood that has been
created on stage and Jaqueline Firkins costumes
are perfection for the period and what she
has created for each character is just the
right thing.
The
Importance of Being Earnest will run through
December 26th at The Court Theatre located
at 5535 S. Ellis Ave. (on the campus of the
University of Chicago) in Chicago, where there
is plenty of free parking and easy to get
to from all directions. Performances are as
follows:
