The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest poster

The Importance of Being Earnest

The first time I saw The Importance of Being Earnest, I missed half the show -- not because I was late or had to leave early, but because the audience laughed so often and so loudly that I could not hear all of the lines. It was that funny.

Of course, as a product of the Victorian era, it can be a challenging play to understand and to perform, especially for high school students, and that is precisely why I chose it for the Stagedogs' fall show. While the Stagedogs seek to entertain with every production put on, the program is an educational one, and it's important for the student actors and crew to try their hands at a wide range of shows.

Earnest is the last of Oscar Wilde's "drawing-room" plays and was first performed at the St. James's Theatre on Valentines' day 1895 to positive reviews and an enthusiastic audience. Unfortunately, the show's first run ended in disaster when it was shut down not three months later because Wilde had been convicted of "homosexual acts" in his personal life and sentenced to prison with hard labor, which destroyed him. He never produced another play or published any work after his release, and he died three years later at the age of 46.

Regarded as a parody and satire of the social norms of the time and the foibles of human nature, the play follows the trials and tribulations of a pair of young lovers - Jack and Gwendolyn and Algy and Cecily. Both of the men lead double lives (what Algy calls "Bunburying") so that they can be socially acceptable while indulging in their more hedonistic appetites. Both of the women desire only to be married to a man named Ernest. Aside from neither man being named Ernest, Gwendolyn's mother (Algy's aunt), the formidable Lady Bracknell, opposes the unions on a number of grounds, the most pronounced being that Jack is a foundling.

The show's humor is derived from the absurd nature of the circumstances in which the characters find themselves and their inherent -- but innocent -- hypocrisies. In the end all turns out well, and we forgive Wilde for gently poking fun at us and showing our flaws.

The students have worked extraordinarily hard on this show. It is a particularly demanding one because of its language but also because it is different from anything they have done before. I am exceedingly proud of them, and I truly hope you enjoy the show!

Performed in Babcock Auditorium, November 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, 2024

Synopsis

ACT 1

Algernon Moncrieff's drawing room, late afternoon

At the beginning of the show, Algernon "Algy" Moncrieff finds himself in a great deal of debt, and he hopes to be able to blackmail his friend, Ernest Worthing, to raise a little money. During the blackmail attempt, it is revealed that "Ernest's" real name is Jack, who pretends to be Ernest in the city so that he can behave as he will without destroying his reputation. This behavior is similar to Algy's, who pretends to have an invalid friend named Bunbury so he can escape his overbearing aunt and enjoy himself in the country -- a practice he calls Bunburying.

Jack is visiting Algy in hopes of encountering Algy's cousin, Gwendolyn, whom he hopes to marry. Indeed, Gwendolyn and her imposing mother, Lady Bracknell, do arrive. Jack manages to speak to Gwendolyn alone where he discovers that she will only marry a man named Ernest, which she believes Jack's name to be. Lady Bracknell catches them mid-proposal and quizzes Jack to determine if he will be an acceptable match for Gwendolyn. She uncovers that Jack does not know who his parents are and was found in a black handbag at a train station by a wealthy man who adopted him. Upon learning this, Lady Bracknell rejects Jack as a suitable match for Gwendolyn and storms out.

Gwendolyn sneaks back into the drawing room to make arrangements to meet Jack at his country home. During the exchange, Algy overhears Jack's real address in the countryside, and he makes plans to go there to woo Jack's ward, Cecily Cardew, who is extremely wealthy.

ACT 2

The garden of Jack Worthing's country estate, late afternoon

We are introduced to Cecily Cardew while she is avoiding her studies by encouraging her strict teacher and chaperone, Miss Prism, to take a walk with the man Miss Prism likes, Rev. Chasuble.

Algy, posing as Jack's delinquent, imaginary brother, Ernest, arrives at the estate and meets Cecily, who has already decided she will marry him because his name is Ernest and he is a "bad boy." Algy starts to actually fall for the innocent and energetic girl while she tells him about the relationship she has been pretending to have with the person he is pretending to be.

Later in the day, Prism and Chasuble encounter Jack pretending to be in mourning for his imaginary brother, who he has killed off to avoid complications with Gwendolyn. To his chagrin, Cecily emerges with Algy who is pretending to be Jack's brother. Cecily demands that the two shake hands and reconcile (as brothers) and Jack -- seeing no way out -- agrees to do so.

Arriving after Algy, Jack, Prism, and Chasuble have left the garden, Gwendolyn meets Cecily, which does not go well. Both women believe they are to marry the same man named Ernest (Gwendolyn to Jack and Cecily to Algy). Both Jack and Algy have separately made arrangements to be re-christened with the name, Ernest, and happily return to the garden only to find the women arguing. The truth comes out causing a rift between the couples. Soon, however, when the men reveal their plans to be re-christened, the women forgive them and both couples embrace.

Lady Bracknell, searching for her daughter, finds the couples mid-embrace and forbids them to marry until it is revealed that Cecily will inherit a great deal of money when she comes of age at thirty five. Using his power as her guardian, Jack blocks the marriage of Algy and Cecily unless Lady Bracknell agrees to let him marry Gwendolyn, which she refuses to do.

The group is at an impasse until a long-held secret is revealed, which allows the requisite happy ending.

Cast

John "Jack" Worthing

Dylan Tallardy '25

Algernon "Algy" Moncrieff

Nicholas Allario '25

Gwendolen Fairfax

Amy White '25

Cecily Cardew

Natalie Francese '26

Lady Bracknell

Hope Spaulding-Tefft '25*

Miss Prism

Sadie Howell '26

Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D.

Felicity Orlando '26

Merriman

Lilly Chandronnet '26

Lane

Noah Dulac '26

Cast as Lady Bracknell

Avery Rojas '25

*n.b. Miss Spaulding-Tefft was added to the cast two weeks before the performance.

Crew

Production Stage Manager

Paul Albamonti '26

Assistant Stage Manager

Lexie Yemma -'27

Lighting Board Operator

Lucas Santiago '25

Stage Crew

Abby Caracciolo '26

Dominick Durfee '26

Nikki Walsh '26

Lighting Assistant

Lillyana Isbell '27

Set Design and Construction

Schane Tallardy

Additional Set Construction

Paul Albamonti '26

Brandon Tallardy

Costumes Provided by

Pierre's Mascots & Costumes

(Paid for by generous donations from you, our patrons)

Costume Coordinator

Melissa Tallardy

Costume Assistants

Kathy Tallardy

Felicity Orlando '26

Hair and Makeup

Nikki Walsh '26

Set Dressing and Decoration

Nancy Chambers

Poster Design

Chris Kelley

House Manager

Melissa Tallardy

Directed by

Ryan D. Zemanek. M.Ed.

The Importance of Being Earnest

(Public Domain)

First performed at the Saint James on

February 14, 1895

This show contains depictions of alcohol use and smoking.

Special thanks to:

Ed French & Son

Carmela Sammataro

Tom Wilcox

Kathleen Walsh

Alissa Richmond

Emily Howell

Judith Leach

Margaret Boericke

Anne Marie Doyle

Kellie Moulin

for their generous donations to help fund the costumes for the show!

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