Review in Antioch: ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ a welcome classic

Oh, the deceit of men! Particularly when they use fictitious persons to escape social obligations of the undesirable kind. And, what better comedy to capture such a theme than Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People!”

In celebration of its 60th diamond season in Antioch, PM&L Theatre’s production is on stage through May 7, and the play’s witty dialogue, humor and cleverness continue to amuse and engage the audience thanks to the direction of Fran Jansta. Despite its lengthy three acts, the play is well paced; the simple and elegant set built and designed by Mark Audrain showcases pillars, brocaded Victorian furniture and a manor garden that works extremely well on the intimate stage. Costume designer Trish Jansta continues the visual complement by outfitting the cast in some stunning, period-evoking suits, gowns, lace and plumed hats.

Wilde’s classic masterpiece reveals the tale of two London gentlemen, each leading deceptive lives. Algernon Moncrieff has invented Bunbury, a convenient invalid he uses as an excuse to gallivant off into the country. He also must deal with his aunt Augusta (that’s Lady Bracknell to you) and unmarried cousin Gwendolen.

Jack Worthing escapes the burdens of his country manor home with the invention of a younger brother Ernest, who is not known for his upstanding character, and whom Jack must visit in the city periodically. Jack also is guardian to 18-year-old Cecily. Not surprisingly, Jack falls in love with Algernon’s cousin Gwendolen, and Algernon falls in love with Jack’s ward Cecily, and to complicate matters, the formidable Lady Bracknell is sleuthing backgrounds and stories before any consent or approval of anything can be given.

Thankfully, PM&L’s ensemble of nine is a vibrant one. Director Jansta keeps the complex dialogue careful and upbeat, and the ensemble maintains an upper-class English accent.

Nat Brautigam bounds onto the stage as Algernon Moncrieff, and portrays his character as clever, cynical, charming and, at times, a dandy. Brautigam delivers some of the best lines in the play with alacrity; they also happen to be my favorites: “The truth is rarely pure and never simple”; “All women become like their mothers – that is their tragedy, no man ever does – that is his”; and “The very essence of romance is uncertainty.”

Brautigam also maintains a lively and eager chemistry with Matthew Leptich, who is a dignified, mature Jack Worthing. You’ll believe his truthful philosophy: “When one is in town, one amuses oneself. When one is in the country, one amuses other people.” Leptich may be older than the normal Jack castings, but he is a strong, likable character actor, quite suave and quite facially expressive. Leptich and Brautigam play off each other brilliantly, and especially any time muffins and cucumber sandwiches are involved.

Representing the aristocracy that is losing its power in the Victorian age is the domineering Lady Bracknell and her hilarious pronouncements. From the moment she announces her arrival via doorbell (“Only relatives or creditors ever ring in that Wagnerian manner”), Jennifer Biel Franco is an imposing, refined grand dame. The true test of any Lady Bracknell is the delivery of the “handbag” lines. Franco does it perfectly – without campiness – just aristocratic snobbery and amazement. She is “a monster without being a myth,” as Jack states, but a likable one; like the characters onstage, you hold your breath every time Franco enters. And Franco and Leptich have a well-played, scene-stealing moment with a series of questions that stirs the plot.

Erin Tetour is a conversational, forthright Gwendolen Fairfax. She speaks with sophistication and morality, and is comically fixated on the name Ernest. Tetour is a delight in her portrayal of the high-fashion, cosmopolitan Gwendolen.

In Act Two, we meet three characters essential to the plot. Hannah Brown is Cecily Cardew, Jack’s ward – probably the most realistically drawn character of the play. Brown is a youthful, energetic actress who provides much comic relief, intrigued with the idea of wickedness and the invention of an elaborate relationship with a fictitious Ernest. Her diary would be a best seller!

Crystal Lake native Holly Sloan’s Miss Prism, Cecily’s governess, starts out as a rigid and endless source of clichés, but transitions into a sensitive woman who grieves over three lost novels and who has romantic feelings for the Rev. Chasuble, chastely and sweetly played by Woodstock’s Rob Cunningham. Cunningham and Sloan are a well-matched, adorable couple, and both have connections that are essential to the futures of all the characters.

Supportive cast members Leo Kalisz as Lane, and Rich Krapf as Merriman are the “Greek chorus” valets and butlers to Algernon and Jack. Kalisz shines when contemplating the state of matrimony, and Krapf is a delight in his silent guidance of Cecily having tea with Gwendolen.

Despite being a success in the late 1890s, “The Importance of Being Earnest” was also the climax of Wilde’s career. Because he sued the Marquess of Queensberry’s son for libel (Lord Alfred Douglas had planned to disrupt the show on opening), the court proceedings provided enough evidence of Wilde’s homosexuality that he was arrested and sentenced to two years hard labor. Wilde’s notoriety caused the play to be closed after 86 performances, and he wrote no more comic or dramatic works – the culmination of his career.

W.H. Auden called “The Importance of Being Earnest” the “only pure verbal opera in English.” It is important to revisit the classics, and I applaud PM&L’s fresh production. Fortunately, this satirical comedy is still much enjoyed to this day, and I earnestly hope you’ll attend a performance.

(The three-act play runs two hours and 30 minutes with two intermissions; the theater is wheelchair accessible.)

• Regina Belt-Daniels yearns to play Lady Bracknell; after all, her starring role as a very bossy Mother Goose in a first-grade production has prepared her for the role. The retired reading recovery and special education teacher, when not traveling with her husband, can be found onstage, backstage or writing theater reviews somewhere.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “The Importance of Being Earnest”

WHERE: PM&L Theatre, 877 Main St., Antioch

WHEN: Through May 7

COST: $20, $18 for students and seniors, $12 for balcony obstructed view

INFORMATION: 847-395-3055, tickets@pmltheatre.com, pmltheatre.com