Sean Jacklin & Nicholas Koy Santillo. Set design by Marysia Bucholc. Costume design by Margaret Spence, with associate Peter DeFreitas. Lighting design by Liam Stewart. Photo by Bruce Peters.
The Alumnae Theatre Company goes Wilde with its charming, entertaining production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by Barbara Larose, assisted by Ellen Green—opening last night on Alumnae’s Mainstage. Set in 1895, this beloved Wilde classic adeptly and hilariously satirizes the British upper class; and is so full of well-known razor-sharp witticisms, it’s a veritable cornucopia of Wilde’s greatest hits.
Best friends Jack (Nicholas Koy Santillo) and Algernon (Sean Jacklin) are wealthy young bachelors about town—wicked enough to be modern, but not so much that they’re criminal. That’s about to change, as Jack is smitten with Algie’s cousin Gwendolyn (Kathryn Geertsema) and has his mind set on proposing. But, although Jack and Gwendolyn are mutually agreed upon the prospect, they must get permission from her imperious mother Lady Bracknell (Tricia Brioux); and they hit a major roadblock when Jack is questioned about his parents, of whom he knows nothing, as he was a foundling. Scandalized at the thought of her daughter marrying a man who was found in a handbag as an infant, Lady Bracknell orders Jack to find evidence of his ancestry—a condition of her giving her blessing to the match.
If that weren’t enough, Jack is living a double life: he is Jack in his country home, where he is the responsible guardian of his 18-year-old ward Cecily (Laura Meadows), but goes by the name of Earnest in town. So Gwendolyn believes his name is Earnest—and has romanticized the name to the point that she believes it to be a vital ingredient to marital bliss. And to make matters even more complicated, Jack has created a fictitious wicked younger brother named Earnest, a relation only mentioned by that name when he’s in the country.
The engagement on hold, Jack returns to his country home to try to sort out his birth, his name and kill off his fictitious brother. He enlists the aid of Rev. Chasuble (Rob Candy), the affable and learned local minister who enjoys taking his regular constitutional over to the house to visit Cecily’s prim, exacting governess Miss Prism (Tina McCulloch). They are surprised by an unexpected guest: Jack’s brother Earnest! Of course, it’s really Algernon, out for a bit of fun and longing to meet Cecily, who also happens to adore the name Earnest; and the two hit it off nicely and become engaged on the spot. And when Gwendolyn arrives, curious about the engraving she saw in Jack’s cigarette case (from Cecily), the two women face off over who is, in fact, engaged to Earnest. Chaos and confessions ensue; and with the arrival of Lady Bracknell, a revelation. All great fun and hilariously sending up the upper echelons of British society, with Algernon’s wry-witted, deadpan housekeeper Lane (Lisa Lenihan) and Jack’s understated, watchful Merriman (Barbara Salsberg) witnessing the tomfoolery of their supposed betters from the sidelines.
The cast does a great job with the crisp, rapid-fire dialogue—so full of quotable bon mots, it’s easy to get caught up in the rapier wit shenanigans. Koy Santillo and Jacklin are perfect foils as Jack and Algernon; an odd couple pair of best friends, with Jack (Koy Santillo) being the somewhat more responsible and respectable, and Algernon (Jacklin) being more slapdash and careless. And Geertsema’s sharp, independent-minded Gwendolyn and Meadows’ romantic, precocious Cecily are not only well-matched to their respective boy; they share a highly entertaining two-hander scene, their proper high society manners a thin veil to the steely, take-no-prisoners resolve to win Earnest—only to become BFFs when they learn about the boys’ hijinks with the name Earnest. And Brioux is an impressive, commanding presence as the fastidiously precise, domineering Lady Bracknell; her cutting pronouncements and withering glances as the formidable dowager earned a round of applause on her exit near the end of Act I.
The Importance of Being Earnest is Wilde at his wittiest, satirical, make fun of the upper class best—and the Alumnae team does him proud. With shouts to the stunning period costumes designed by Margaret Spence, with associate Peter DeFreitas; Marysia Bucholc’s trim, ornate and highly efficient moveable set, illuminated by lighting designer Liam Stewart; and Rick Jones’ period-perfect sound design. All held together by the intrepid SM Margot Devlin.
The Importance of Being Earnest continues on the Alumnae Theatre Mainstage until October 6. Get advance tickets online, by calling the box office: 416-364-4170, ext. 1 or at the door (cash only). Performances run Wednesday – Saturday at 8 pm, with matinees on Sunday at 2:00 pm.
The run includes Post-Show Talkbacks following the Sunday matinees on September 23 and 30; and a Pre-show Designer Panel on September 27 at 6:30 pm. (this one comes with snacks). Check out the fun trailer:
And check out this interview with actor Tricia Brioux in the Beach Metro Community News. Keep up with Alumnae Theatre on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
life with more cowbell 