Oh to be Wilde and Earnest

I was surprised when I saw the set. Surprised and very excited. And I wanted to steal it.

Big, ten-feet-tall letters (E-A-R-N-E-S-T) line the upstage wall. A grand-looking piano is stationed on the stage-right side while seemingly Victorian-style couches and ottomans are front and center with zebra print pillows and upholstery! Seriously?! It’s hard to miss the magenta painted walls. I wanted to take the set and put it in my house. I totally adored it. Very flavorful and funky, but how was Centerstage going to stage Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” with such a modern motif?


You see, Wilde’s most popular work is set in 1900-ish London, England, with all the prim and proper practicalities of the Victorian time. Fuchsia and zebra were not quite on the list.

Centerstage's production of “Earnest” opens with Algernon (a friend of Jack…errr…Earnest) musing about the morning-room, with his full-on crisp, clean, pristine dialect. It takes the ears a few minutes to adjust to the formal voices, however, the proper twang seems to highlight the wit of Wilde’s writing (and really it puts the play into period context).

The accents just prove how truly impeccable the actors were. And their choices in mannerisms helped to further the personality of their respective character. You see, never would a lady of London jump into her love’s arm, flinging her legs around his torso. How preposterous! But Cecily does this which portrays her personality and free-thinking nature, sort of “updating” her character. I liked this, how director Irene Lewis played up some of the provocative content, and pushed the limits. A few shakes and moves and vocal inflection brought the scenes to life, making it easier to relate to the characters.


Some of the characters were in strict period garb; Ms. Prism and her tutor ways. Even Jack and Gwendolen donned costumes of a more traditional Victorian stature. But Cecily, the firecracker that she is, sported a much too short flowered dress, lime green tights and navy blue platform shoes. You could see the girl’s bloomers for crying out loud. Not Victorian high-society at all. Algernon’s latter garbs were more Annapolis sailor then Victorian scholar and bachelor. So how do a modern set, mixed genre costumes, classic writing and accents go together?

Well, the more progressive set, costumes and character vices help to provide a specific image contemporary audiences can relate to (I seriously would have stolen Cecily’s shoes too…though I think I own them in lime green). Although the style of the vocal nuances and set design are on opposite sides of the spectrum, the costumes and character development serve as a bridge between the two worlds (and the big letters are not distracting). **Dramaturg Gavin Witt explains production choices in his talk-backs, which are after select shows.

But there’s a spice more delicious to dish: Lady Bracknell. Lady Bracknell is played by Laurence O’Dwyer. Talk about pushing limits. And the thing is, it’s so believable. O’Dwyer plays the part of the washed-up, seen-better-days-now-I’ll-control-your-life mother incredibly well and oh-so hysterical. He was wonderful.

So sure, it’s a period piece, full of rich and clever content, but why not play with it a bit? Mix it up. And they did; just enough to enhance the characters, without distracting the audience from Wilde’s words.

“The Importance of Being Earnest” continues for about two more weeks, closing on Nov. 8.