THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST by Oscar Wilde   directed by GEORGE BALLIS   Tickets for this show: $10   PERFORMANCE DATES   FRI, September 18 at 8:00PM SAT, Sept 19 at 8:00PM • SUN, Sept 20 at 2:00PM       THU, Sept 24 at 7:30PM • FRI, Sept 25 at 8:00PM SAT, Sept 26 at 8:00PM • SUN, Sept 27 at 2:00PM       THU, Oct 1 at 7:30PM • FRI, Oct 2 at 8:00PM SAT, Oct 3 at 8:00PM • SUN, Oct 4 at 2:00PM

Jack Worthing is in love with Gwendolen Fairfax, daughter of the domineering Lady Bracknell, and cousin of his friend Algernon – who is also in love with Jack’s pretty young ward Cecily. Unfortunately Jack and Gwendolen cannot marry until the mystery of Jack’s parentage is solved, and how he came to be found in a handbag left at Victoria Station. The Importance of Being Earnest is one of the most popular plays ever written. Subtitled “a trivial comedy for serious people”, it bursts with witty dialogue and social satire – all you’d expect from the writer of Lady Windermere’s Fan, An Ideal Husband and A Woman of No Importance. (Rated PG)

 

CAST

THE PLAYWRIGHT

 

Wikipedia Article

The Literature Network - Oscar Wilde

 

OSCAR WILDE | Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900) was an Irish playwright, poet and author of numerous short stories and one novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Known for his biting wit, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. As the result of a widely covered series of trials, Wilde suffered a dramatic downfall and was imprisoned for two years' hard labor after being convicted of "gross indecency" with other men. After Wilde was released from prison he set sail for Dieppe by the night ferry. He never returned to Ireland or Britain.

 

 

ENGLAND DURING THE VICTORIAN ERA

 

 

EARNESTNESS AND SINCERITY

The major target of Wilde's scathing social criticism is the hypocrisy that society creates. Frequently in Victorian society, its participants behaved themselves in overly sincere, polite ways while they felt the exact opposite. One might say this was the birthplace of the term “two-faced.” Wilde exposes this divide in scenes such as when Gwendolen and Cecily behave themselves in front of the servants or when Lady Bracknell warms to Cecily upon discovering she is rich. However, the play truly pivots around the word "earnest." Both women want to marry someone named "Ernest," as the name inspires "absolute confidence"; in other words, the name implies that its bearer truly is earnest, honest, and responsible. However, Jack and Algernon have lied about their names, so they are not really "earnest." But it also turns out that (at least in Jack's case) he was inadvertently telling the truth. The rapid flip-flopping of truths and lies, of earnestness and duplicity, shows how truly muddled the Victorian values of honesty and responsibility were.

 

DUEL IDENTITIES
Wilde explores in depth what it means to have a dual identity in Victorian society. This duality is most apparent in Algernon and Jack's "Bunburying" (their creation of an alter ego to allow them to evade responsibility). Wilde hints that Bunburying may cover for homosexual liaisons, or at the very least serve as an escape from oppressive marriages. Other characters also create alternate identities. For example, Cecily writes correspondence between herself and Ernest before she has ever met him. Unlike real men, who are free to come and go as they please, she is able to control this version of Ernest. Finally, the fact that Jack has been unwittingly leading a life of dual identities shows that our alter egos are not as far from our "real" identities as we would think.