Some plays persist in popular culture because of their powerful political message (such as “The Crucible”), while others live on because of the emotional weight of the story (such as “Romeo and Juliet”).
And then there are other plays, such as Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” that continue to be popular due to its clever use of language. This performance, originally written with no serious political or social message in mind, has drawn audiences to its witty humor and wordplay for a century. The U’s Department of Theatre carries on the tradition this weekend with their own edition of the intentionally ridiculous comedy.
The play opens with Earnest, a young playboy, going to visit his friend Algernon Moncrieff, in order to propose to Moncrieff’s cousin, Gwendolen Fairfax. To gain his friend’s blessing for the marriage, Earnest is forced to admit he is living a double life. In the countryside, he is John Worthing, the serious guardian of the wealthy heiress Cecily Cardew. In London, he is Earnest, a cavalier womanizer. This double-life creates a series of escalating misunderstandings, which allows for the language of the play, with all its puns and plays on words, to come center-stage.
University of Utah Theatre
Sarah Shippobotham, the play’s director, said she chose to put on this show partly due to the uniqueness of its humor relying so much on language play.
“We don’t tend to speak in the way that perhaps we think people spoke back then,” Shippobotham said. “We don’t necessarily have the same love of language in the way that we communicate. This play is very much about people who think in complex sentences.”
These complex sentences are difficult for students to say in an organic manner. Shippobotham said the student actors’ skill in handling this intricate wordplay in a naturalistic fashion is part of what makes this particular production so impressive.
“It’s a completely student-designed production,” Shippobotham said. “The costumes, things like sound, the set is done by students, and I think it’s very skillfully done. It’s not designed to be a heavy politically messaged play, so it might just be an evening of enjoying the repartee and watching some good performances.”
Shippobotham said their version of “The Importance of Being Earnest” isn’t changing much of the play, because it is “the kind of play people can see more than once and enjoy it — you just don’t get the surprises that you get watching it the first time.”
This show also departs from traditional casting of the characters. For instance, Lady Bracknell, traditionally portrayed by a white actor in her late 40s, is played by a 21-year-old black student. The play also uses an unnatural set in order to keep the performance moving through three wildly different settings.
“The Importance of Being Earnest” opens Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m., with performances at the same time through Feb. 28, and from March 3-6 at the Babcock Theater. There are additional matinee performances March 5 and 6 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are free for students with a valid UCard.
@Ehmannky