The News Tribune, June 21, 2012
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| The cast of The Importance of Being Earnest |
Oscar Wilde’s comic skewering of the British aristocracy The
Importance of Being Earnest has not lost a whit of its charm in 118
years. Wilde’s wit and sarcasm is ageless, and Lakewood Playhouse’s staging of
this comic classic is truly delightful. Marilyn Bennett’s direction is
excellent, and the entire cast is loveable.
Starring
Bryan K. Bender as the oh-so-earnest John Worthing, Andrew Kittrell as the fey
and jaded Algernon Moncrieff, Syra Beth Puett as the imperious Lady Bracknell,
Deya Ozburn as the highbrow beauty Gwendolen Fairfax, and Cassie Jo Fastabend
as the down-to-earth if insanely silly country maiden Cecily Cardew, this
version of “Earnest” is masterfully cast.
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| Cassie Jo Fastabendas Cecily and Andrew Kittrell as Algernon |
The play is a silly but highly intelligent comedy of
manners filled with witty barbs. Worthing, who pretends to be Jack in the
country and Earnest in the city, is in love with Gwendolen, and she is in love
with him; but primarily because his name is Earnest. She says she could not
bear the thought of being married to a man named Jack or John. His young ward,
Cecily, is also in love with the name Earnest, and Algernon courts her by
pretending to be Jack’s wicked brother, Earnest.
Puett nails the personification of the stuffy Lady Bracknell
with spot-on accent and diction (credit her extensive acting experience and
excellent dialect coaching from Aaron J. Schmookler, who plays the part of the
Rev. Cannon Chausuble).
Ozburn, a South Sound favorite for her intense performances
in such roles as that of Martha in The Children’s Hour at LPH and her
devastating portrayal of the student Carol in Theater Artists Olympia’s
production of David Mamet’s Oleanna, proves here that she has a masterful
touch for comedy with impeccable timing and super-fast changes of attitude.
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| Algernon with Cecily and Gwendolen (Deya Ozburn) |
Bender seems to have been born to play the role of John
Worthing. He portrays John with the dignity and stuffiness suitable to his
class and upbringing, but his underlying sincerity and insecurity shines
through.
Fastabend, a Theater Arts and English major at University
of Puget Sound plays Cecily as loveable and flighty and is quite enjoyable to
watch.
Kitrell, a recent UPS graduate in his first out-of-school
performance creates an outrageously pretentious Algernon with confidence.
Performing in the round is nearly always a challenge
because actors necessarily have their backs to the audience during much of the
action, yet in this performance Bennett’s blocking of the action is such that
it is never a problem and intimacy with the audience is achieved. There are
even a number of snide asides to the audience that are delightful.
Costume designer Alex Lewington has done a masterful job
with the period costumes, most notably with Algernon’s ridiculously ostentatious
outfits and the dresses worn by Lady Bracknell, Cecily and Gwendolen. Her color
choices for the women beautifully match their personalities and station in life
– virginal and delicate for the country maiden and deep, rich colors for
Gwendolen and Lady Bracknell, and they nicely complement the actors’ hair color
and skin tones.
The house was almost sold out opening night, so I would
urge readers to purchase advance tickets.
Photos by Dean Lapin
WHEN:
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, through July 14
WHERE:
Lakewood Playhouse, 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd., Lakewood
TICKETS:
$18-$24
INFORMATION:
253-588-0042, www.lakewoodplayhouse.org
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