Reviewed 8/28/04
The joy of an Oscar Wilde production comes from the deliciousness of the witty banter that he puts in the mouths of his generally vapid characters. What’s truly amazing is how the witticisms of the late 19th century are still quite valid and enjoyable at the beginning of the 21st century. Perhaps only Shaw’s and Shakespeare’s dialogue on a par with the cutting and incisive jabs of Mr. Wilde. When performed by actors capable of turning the dialogue into rapiers, the evening is a joy. When placed in the mouths of those who do not understand or are not able to articulate them, the evening becomes a dress parade of middling interest. What Christopher E. Williams and the ensemble he has collected for Actors Renaissance Theatre’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest offer is a study in both of these extremes. Actors with a command of shaded dialogue work alongside those who mumble or meander. The result is an evening that gets better as it goes along, but never quite transcends the awkwardness of the unschooled.
It is from the fountainhead of its two leads that the balance begins. Matthew Proschold is a joy as the ne’er-do-well Algernon, whose sport of “Bunberrying” is the central driving force of this farce of manners. He has a strong, clear voice and handles himself with the charm of a scoundrel. His aloofness, though, sometimes does not quite drop as much as it should as he pursues the young Cicely (Courtney Weir). Still, his is an enjoyable study of rascalry. However, James K. Barnard and Williams have chosen to present Jack as a fidgety wisp. He is a soft-spoken milquetoast who looks absolutely awkward at most every moment of the production. When he’s not murmuring his lines at a volume nearly half of those around him, he’s looking at the floor and playing incessantly with the hem of his vest, a very annoying habit that draws focus away from his attempts at humor-by-humility. Stronger is Barbara McGrath as Lady Bracknell, who has the affectations and vocal patterns of the grand dame down, but who seems often to be struggling to remember her lines.
Monica McCue's portrayal is a nose-held-high affair that begins a bit too held back, but warms as she moves from London to the provinces. The scene between her and Weir is a delight. Weir’s Cicely is a consistently sweet and enjoyable creation. She is the most balanced performer through the entire show, and on an acting par with Proschold. As Miss Prism, Rene Schlimm is a bit too severe, but she has her moments. Dave Edmunds is solid as the pious but pursuing Dr. Chasuble. Zachary Taylor’s manservant Lane is a fair-to-middling affair of jumped lines and occasional witticisms, while Richard Orduño’s balancing manservant Merriman is stronger with his responses and reserve.
Williams does not seem to have drilled the performers on the necessity of picking up lines and cues. The pacing is halting and inconsistent, save for the strongest moment between the two women betrothed to the non-existent Earnest. Peter Bish’s set design is a clever use of much too much space, painted in period-appropriate by distracting style by Nicole Crain. Proschold and Bish’s lighting is consistent, and the unbilled costumer has some excellent moments, especially with Gwendolyn’s creations and Lady Bracknell’s final outfit, but drops the ball on some pretty obvious choices, such as forgetting to place the ladies in gloves and choosing a restrained outfit for Cecily’s first outfit.
