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The Importance of Being Earnest by The Star Theatre Company It’s Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy of manners, The Importance of Being Earnest. Where being found in a handbag in the cloakroom at Victoria Station is not a proper lineage for a man seeking the hand of a young English lady, even if it was on the Brighton Line. And where losing one of your parents may be regarded as a misfortune, but to lose both looks like carelessness. And where the name “Earnest” is of more than some importance when sizing up potential husbands. The latter of which will prove to be the most serious complication for Jack and Algernon as they try to woo Gwendolen and Cecily (but should anyone named Gwendolen or Cecily complain too much about the names of others?). The show opened in 1895 and is still going strong, currently filling in as a last-minute replacement for a fundraising show at the historic Star Theatre in Oceanside. Directors Michael Phillip Thomas and Elisabeth Rebel brought together a good group of performers and ended up throwing the whole thing together quite nicely with nice sets (Philip La Croix), costumes (Sandi Chan), and humor (everyone). Gedaly Guberek and Philip La Croix star as the Earnest impersonators. Gedaly delivers a good performance as Jack, the one with questionable pedigree concerning Victoria Station, who woos Gwendolen pretending his name is Earnest. His efforts to seek her hand get tripped up by a couple unexpected issues – Gwendolen suddenly stating that she will only marry a man named Earnest, and Gwendolen’s uppity guardian Lady Bracknell to whom he humbly admits his humble beginnings in a handbag (an admission that Gedaly physically prepares himself for, expecting the likely rebuke by Bracknell). Meanwhile, Philip stars as the selfish and conniving Algernon who is having his own troubles with Earnest when he uses the name to get access to Jack’s young ward, Cecily, and finds that he wants to marry her, but she will only have him if his name is Earnest. Jill Renner and Alexandra Poka star as the Earnest seekers. Alexandra is the young Cecily who is as excited as a proper young English woman should ever get to meet Jack’s fictional brother named Earnest whom she understands to be “a truly wicked person.” Jill is a hit as the proper young English lady Gwendolen who doesn’t like to have her ears covered by a protective Jack when gossip gets juicy, and who speaks most primly whether she’s romantically excited or in a hilarious catfight with Alexandra over Earnest. The supporting cast is led by a fantastic performance by Caitlin Macy-Beckwith as the indignant Lady Bracknell who uses her voice, timing, and underplayed humor to great effect. Theatre is long in the Macy-Beckwith blood, with her parents joining her on stage: Cindee Macy-Beckwith as the dotty Miss Prism and David Macy-Beckwith as the genial Dr. Chasuble who takes all the events in stride. Sassan Saffari is the upright butler at the Bracknell residence and adds some humor as the ancient, hunched-over manservant at Jack’s estate. Or Earnest’s estate. Well, that will all be worked out by the end of the play.
Performs August 22 - 31, 2008.
~ Cast ~
John Worthing, J.P.: Gedaly Guberek Algernon Moncrieff: Philip La Croix Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D.: David Macy-Beckwith Merriman, Butler: Sassan Saffari Lane, Manservant: Sassan Saffari Lady Bracknell: Caitlin Macy-Becwith Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax: Jill Renner Cecily Cardew: Alexandra Poka Miss Prism, Governess: Cindee Macy-Beckwith Directors: Michael Phillip Thomas and Elisabeth Rebel Set Design: Philip La Croix Lighting Design: Elisabeth Rebel and Michael Phillip Thomas Sound Design: Elisabeth Rebel Costumes: Sandi Chan Stage Manager: Trevor Stucky |