|
The Importance of Being Earnest Cynthia Hestand's direction of Plano Repertory Theatre's production of Oscar Wilde's drawing room comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest, is triumphant to say the least! She earns my praise right off the bat with getting that pace behind the heavily burdened first act of exposition. Hestand has dusted off the cobwebs of Wilde's script, and with her cast and designers has added sparkle and freshness to the piece. Blocking is difficult for any director. It must not only have purpose, logic, and hopefully meaning, but it also must not block the view for the elderly lady in the back row either! Hestand's production is performed in the round and, while this can be a nightmare for some, for Hestand it looked like a cakewalk. Throughout the evening she has wonderful layers of angles and "picture windows" for each side of the house to enjoy. It is quite enjoyable to see one character comment on the current situation, while behind them another character is expressing his or her thoughts with very humorous facial expressions, all from interesting angles. This is aided by the intimate environment of the new home for PRT, which by the way is breathtaking in its design. Hestand and her company have paid close attention to every detail. The impeccable British dialects and proper etiquette that each performer displays are particularly impressive. There is no hint of modern day in either performance or presentation. Ms. Hestand brings vibrant and perfect comedic performances from her entire cast. Mark Shum portrays John Worthing J.P., a man who does not like his true name, Earnest, so he simply decides to change it, thus causing an evening of mistaken identities, too many proposals, christenings, and even a battle over pastries! Shum displays energetic charm and class in the principal role. As he is the glue that holds the evening together, what with all the subplots leading back to his character, Shum is a perfect choice. At one moment he can be proper and rigid, the next act he is hilarious as a brother in mourning. Shum's comic timing hits the mark each time. He should also be applauded for helping to control the pace. He gives a marvelous and exuberant performance. Regan Adair gives a scene stealing performance as the foppish Algernon Moncrieff. The actor's performance is an amalgamation of Snagglepuss, Martin Short, Michael Caine, and Monty Python, with a voice that sounds like Vincent Price thrown in at times. His hair is reminiscent of Gene Wilder's in Young Frankenstein. Adair's elastic facial expressions are downright sinful and hysterical; you know what Algernon is thinking just by watching the actor's face. Adair gives Algernon an air of an ostentatious egotist that makes the character snotty, yet you know you would want to sit next to him at a dinner party. Shum and Adair have some of the best comedic scene work of the evening. Both actors share the spotlight and the laughs. They play off each other with accurate comic timing and feed off each other's energy. Their heated argument over cake and muffins is a comic highlight of the production. It may not be WWF sort of fighting, nonetheless it is exciting and hilarious to watch unfold. Terry McCracken is one of those actresses who is able to completely transform herself into different characters. Last season she gave a heartbreaking performance as the mother in Wingspan's Tongue of A Bird. As Lady Bracknell, she is comic brilliance to the hilt. Oscar Wilde himself would have loved her performance. McCracken is reminiscent of Maggie Smith, with doses of Dame Edna and Helen Hayes thrown in for good measure. The actress has a powerful stage presence that forces all eyes on her. But where she earns even more praise is how she adds more laughs to the comedy written for her character, either by her unerring comic timing, or with her droll facial expressions. McCracken's histrionics have the audience in the palm of her gloved hand each time she enters a scene. She is priceless in this production. Amanda Denton is Cecily Cardew, a young girl who from the outset may remind one of the typical blonde airhead, but don't be fooled - Denton provides her character with brain power and keen wit. While she may be assigned the ingenue role, she does not give the typical stock character performance. She instead gives her character many levels as a woman with a brain for business (the business of marriage). Denton has one of the funniest bits of the evening. When she is asked to be "looked at" in acts two and three, she creates comic gems in her facial expressions and the configurations of her body. Denton is a porcelain beauty with brains, giving an effervescent and veritable performance. As the Rev. Canon Chasuble, Terry Vandivort gives a "laugh a minute" performance. He is both mirthful and uproarious as the man of the collar. Paige Reynolds (another ravenous beauty) is Gwendolyn Fairfax, the rich young maiden who is betrothed to Shum. Reynolds, like the rest of the cast, wears her character like a second skin, breathing life and energy into it. She too has the rhythm of the comedy down pat like a true pro. Miss Prism, the school teacher who has a couple of secrets under her spring straw hat, is given a jovial performance by Mary Anna Austin. The actress has her a little scatterbrained, seeming to be thinking of two things at once. It's just engaging to watch unfold on stage. Jerry W. Brown is assigned the roles of both butlers, and the actor has a grand time with both characters. One is quick in step, the other is as slow as turtle, which has the audience snickering each time he enters or leaves. Brown may be given the smallest role in the cast, but he still shines as brightly as the rest of the company. What is so admirable about all of the cast is how they have the rhythm of the art of drawing room comedy down pat. Each cast member has the refinement, politesse, and idiosyncrasies of their character perfectly interwoven into their acting craft. Than can only be achieved by superb direction and the talents of the cast. Michael Robinson and Marilu Gonzales have designed some of the most beautiful costumes seen this season. The detail to period costuming here is just a marvel to see. These two designers use cottons, crisp linens, laces, and patterned heavy fabrics to create the fashion of this long ago era. The vests that the men wear in the first act have festive colored ascots to match them, with a gem stone in the center. The costumes for McCracken and Reynolds are just gorgeous. Robinson and Gonzales did not let anything go to the wayside in their cloth confections for these two ladies. With the added touches of tiny purses, gloves, parasols that are covered in fabrics that complement their gowns, right down to the brooches and necklaces, these designers could win a Tony for costuming. Then there are the hats - layered in feathers, bows, veils, lace, jewels, and other pieces. These examples of fine millinery would cause even Queen Elizabeth to pick up the royal phone and ask Robinson and Gonzales to design for her. Bryan Wofford's sets are a sight to behold, pure artistic beauty in both design and execution. The first act set has antiques, rugs, and period furniture surrounding a massive circular sitting area piece with pillows strewn all over. The second act is set in the garden, where Wofford has designed a beautiful cornflower blue water fountain that actually works. Surrounding this are flower boxes blooming with shades of purple, lavender, and pink flowers. The third act set is sparse, but the painted floor is dazzling. It is ornate and seems to be imbedded with small squares of ice green glass. Wofford's scenic design does not suffer from being in the round; he has created mood, texture and a scenic design that brings the audience right into Oscar Wilde's world. Laura McMeley's subdued lighting design complements Wofford's set and the costumes of Robinson and Gonzales. Before each act starts, the set has lighting that adds something special to the evening. The first act has pools of light focused onto a specific furniture piece; in act two the garden is bathed in shades of blue green that looked like a cool spring night. For the third act McMeley uses a gobo effect of a massive picture window flowing onto the set. Overall this production is like a Whitman's Sampler. The outer shells of both the box and the sweets are colorful and in various shapes, and when you open it up and fill up on the delicious assortments of flavors and textures, you want to share this array of sweet delights with another person. The faultless design of set, costume, and lighting are the "outer shells" and the director and cast to make up the the assortment of chocolates and sweets inside - each different, but all fit perfectly in the box. The Importance of Being Earnest played at The Courtyard Theater, 1517 H Ave, Plano Texas through May 5. Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest Director..............................Cynthia Hestand CAST Lane/Merriman.........................Jerry W. Brown |
