01/19/06-02/19/06
Stage Director(s): Ted Pappas
Set Designer(s): James Noone
Lighting Designer(s): Kirk Bookman
Facility & Venue: The O'Reilly Theater - O'Reilly Theater
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06022/640825-325.stm#ixzz1Q0eylXQP
But it's impractical to match wits and aphorisms with a man who once took a morning to contemplate the removal of a single comma from a poem and expended the afternoon reinserting it.
PPT's 'Being Earnest' a masterpiece - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_417936.html#ixzz1Q0fEslZe
09/1209 – 11/08/09
Minneapolis, MN
Stage Director(s): Joe Dowling
Set Designer(s): Walt Spangler
Lighting Designer(s): Allen Lee Hughes
Facility & Venue: Guthrie Theater - Wurtele Thrust Stage
Mary O’Regan
Community Lifestyle Magazine
10/13/09
Janet Preus
9/20/09
http://howwastheshowcom.ssl21.com/index.cfm/action/reviews.view/reviewKey/1207
New York NY
01/13/11 – 06/26/11
Stage Director(s): Brian Bedford
Set Designer(s): Desmond Heeley
Lighting Designer(s): Duane Schuler
Facility & Venue: Round About Theater Company- American Airlines Theatre
So is the earlier scene between Ernest and Algernon, where Furr and Fontana establish their characters' committed insipidity. All four of the younger cast members, swanning about in Heeley's finery, capture Wilde's essence with the kind of efforts that look absolutely effortless. As might be expected, Ivey and Whitehead sail through the proceedings on the kind of technique they could bottle and sell at considerable prices. As Algernon's man, Lane, Paul O'Brien gets laughs by mere eye rolls, and as Cecily's attendant, Merriman, Tim McDonald acquits himself honorably.
David Finkle
Jan. 14 2011
http://www.theatermania.com/broadway/reviews/01-2011/the-importance-of-being-earnest_33129.html
Earnest tells the story of two friends living the high life in fashionable late Victorian England. Jack Worthing lives on a country estate with his ward, Cecily Cardew; he pretends to have a naughty younger brother named Ernest in London, which makes it easy for him to slip away for visits to the city (in the guise of this fictitious fellow "Ernest") whenever he wants to. As Ernest, he has befriended Algernon Moncrieff, who, it turns out, has devised a similar scheme of his own: he has a fake friend named "Bunbury" who lives in the country, and Algy goes to visit his imaginary pal, who is a terrible invalid, whenever he wants to get out of town. Jack is in love with Gwendolen Fairfax, Algy's cousin, but their marriage plans face a formidable obstacle in the person of Gwendolen's mother, Lady Bracknell: when Jack reveals that he was in fact a foundling (left in a handbag in a cloak room at Victoria Station), the society-conscious Lady Bracknell refuses permission for the match. Complications ensue, and there's also a slight subplot involving Cecily's governess, Miss Prism, and the local minister, Dr. Chasuble. All works out well in the end, of course.
Martin Denton
January 19, 2011
http://www.nytheatre.com/showpage.aspx?s=impo11057
Basic Facts
Taproot Theater Company
Taproot Theatre
Seattle, WA
September 26-October 27, 2007
Director: Karen Lund
Lighting :Jody Briggs
Costumes: Sarah Burch
Review Capsule #1
The play is bracingly modern in its understanding of the mercurial nature of identity, the power games that men and women play in the name of love, and the social poses that can be assumed and discarded for the sake of expediency.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2003923530_earnest04.html
Misha Berson
Seattle Times theater critic
10/04/07
Review Capsule #2
The production begins a bit harshly, with both Algernon and Jack a bit too strong, a bit too emphatic in their delivery, and a bit too forced in their mannerisms. That quickly moderated, however, and with the arrival of Lady Bracknell, played wonderfully by Pam Nolte, this tower of pomposity and propriety seemed to pull the two men down just a notch, just enough. In addition to Nolte, who had every sniffle of authority perfectly in place, who trumpeted every condescending proclamation as if it was an oracle from an ancient diety, who gave the slightest riffling of a handkerchief grandeur, we know exactly how important these trivial people are, how seriously their nonsense is to be taken. As Gwendolyn says, “In matters of great importance style, not sincerity, seems to be of the utmost importance.”
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.seattleactor.com/news/imagehost/images/Ernest-Press.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.seattleactor.com/news/modules.php%3Fname%3DSeattleReview%26rop%3Dshowcontent%26id%3D213&usg=__pG_B5yqUYafF_FDnmRZsQ4Hy2eU=&h=448&w=299&sz=54&hl=en&start=9&sig2=bGw3VdA2fPncPtU44imKGQ&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=86_A0WhMRPQexM:&tbnh=127&tbnw=85&prev=/search%3Fq%3DImportance%2Bof%2Bbeing%2Bearnest%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1576%26bih%3D734%26tbm%3Disch&ei=FGQDToX_Bane0QHFydH8DQ
Jerry Kraft
10/04/07
Production #5
Basic Facts
The Repertory Actors Theatre
Seattle's Multi-ethnic Philanthropic Theatre Company
Seattle WA
November 9 - 25, 1995
Directed by: David Hsieh
Lighting Designer: Rick Wong
Costume Designer: Kathy Cory
Review Capsule #1
This comedy unveils the dual lives of two errant bachelors, each pretending to be a ficticious person named "Ernest." The deception is an innocent ruse, carried on in the interest of romance.
by Deni LunaNW Asian Weekly
November 25, 1995
http://www.reacttheatre.org/review/nwawearnest.html
Review Capsule #2
The writing varies in quality as well as tone. "Earnest" is by Oscar Wilde, the 19th-century master who contrasts decadent frivolity against Victorian propriety. Director David Hsieh has deftly condensed Wilde's four acts into two brisk episodes.
By JOE ADCOCKSEATTLE P-I THEATER CRITIC
November 20, 1995
http://www.reacttheatre.org/review/piearnest.html
Producing the play.
With every play there are problems that have to be worked out some plays having more than others. When it comes to The Importance of being Earnest there are little problems with the play itself to be worked out, one of the main challenges is making sure the audience can catch some of the references. When it comes to preforming this play there are really no staging problems to be worked out. The only real problems that would need to be made clear with in the story line the Earnest is things like what a dog-cart is or a perambulator. Due to the fact that people might not know what these things are. So for clarity of the play one might think about making physical reference to what these things are and other references that people too may not get today. This can be done in a variety of ways such as pointing to an object on the set of the production or acting out what this would mean with body language.
In order to produce the Importance of being Earnest here at Sam Houston State University we would have to take many things in to consideration. Such as the fact that it would be a mostly white cast if we are to keep it in period of which it is produce and the African American Actors would not have as much of a chance at getting a lead role within this play. The other thing that we would have to consider with in our production is the English accent that would be needed to convey the fact that it is taking place in London England. So all of the actors would be expected to know or at least be able to learn how to speak with an English dialect.
Other production companies such as the ones that I have found reviews for did not have too much trouble with these problems. They are easily solved and with classes in accents and such can be avoided. This is really a simple fun play that most companies can do with in there our casting pool without many problems. One could even take a modern day approach to such a play and add more ethic people into the show without keeping it traditional. This show can be open and solved within many settings from high school to college or professional levels.
This is a well love script by many people there is very little review that are on the negative side toward this play. It can be used to entertain people of all ages although the young audience might not get as many of the references and what they are actually implying. Although one could take their kids to see this show without having to worry about the language or adult context. This is really a good play to teach from for the high school and college level. It gives you many of the emotions that you would find in everyday life as well as the comedy to teach how to play to an audience.
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