SANDY — One of the best things about Utah is the abundance of solid community theatre productions, and the talented local artists that make such abundance possible. Sandy Arts Guild’s winter production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is a prime example. Directed by Laura Bedore Lerwill who touts the production as a “story of how important it is to be loved just as we are”, Earnest is a farce written in the late 1800s that comments on the absurd social rules of England in that era. The twisting plot follows two gentlemen in pursuit of two eligible young ladies, and the formidable Victorian matriarch and unfortunate parentage that stands in their way. Somehow, despite the passage of 130 years since its first production, the comedy, language, deception, plot twists and happy-ever-after resolution, endure today.
Direction & Treatment
Earnest seems to be making a comeback lately; this is the third production I’ve seen in recent months. Lerwill deviates just a bit from standard Earnest productions in at least one interesting way. Hinted at during preshow where I noticed what sounded like ragtime or vaudeville type instrumental piano playing over the sound system. The curtain was down during preshow, giving no further clue to Sandy’s take. Earnest is marked by two major scene changes taking the show from an opulent London townhome, to the garden of a large country estate, then to the interior of that estate. Sometimes these major changes are managed with two intermissions. Sandy’s production introduces silent film interludes during the scene changes. Black and white antiqued film of the cast in imagined chaotic in-between scenes, underscored with ragtime piano and interspersed with slides of silly dialogue are a fun and creative addition to the show.
Design
All three opulent sets designed by Tavnir Carey are impressive for a community theatre production. The indoor sets feature lofty windows with lavish dressings and marbled flooring. The outdoor set features a large flowering arbor, and all have a depth created by layering views beyond the playing space down front. Credit goes to Set Dresser and Props Designer Robyn Rausher-Fellows for the flowering arbor, delicate furniture, a classic gramophone and even what appears to be a gorgeous, antique, square grand piano—which gets its own comic moment when Brooks Bedore as Algernon plays, underscoring his own lines. Sandy Arts is fortunate to have a talented and experienced Charge Artist, Maria Brown Fredickson, on board. Her work is showcased in the beautifully painted false proscenium and an enormous, full stage backdrop depicting the green rolling hills of the country estate.
The costuming by Chad McBride is equally impressive, with notable standouts in the well-tailored day dress ensembles sported by Kathryn Atwood as Lady Bracknell, and the lovely satin and lace-bedecked creations worn by Ashley Slater as Gwendolen. Bedore as Algernon appears in suits and accoutrements that have a nice touch of classy extravagance, but lack a bit of the over-the-top foppishness implied by the script. Although his red-toned oxfords are stunning. And Jack’s summery white suit for the finale is almost too lovely for his character.
The production seems to get off to a slow start, lacking a needed sense of quick pacing in the first half that sets the tone and punches the humor. The script is full to the brim of witty highbrow dialogue delivered in clipped English dialects, presenting a challenge to even the most seasoned cast. This cast works well together, but is hampered early on from a bit of too slow pacing and occasional unclear delivery of lines which throws off the comic timing. Compounded by some technical difficulties with the sound (body microphones coming in staticky and too late), I worried that I might be in for a long and unfunny version of Earnest. Fortunately the cast regains momentum as the show progresses and by the second half I was no longer concerned about comic timing and pace.
Actors
The cast is not large, and all are quite strong, and clearly benefit from Mindy Curtis’s dialect coaching. In particular Atwood’s Lady Bracknell presents a formidable character with an impeccable dialect. Slater’s Gwendolen is equally adept in dialect and her perfectly exaggerated persona. Adri Cumming’s Cecily Cardew is so deviously innocent and lovely that it is clear why Algernon fell for her even before they met.
The gentlemen suitors, Algernon (Bedore) and Jack (Darrin Weir) make a good pair of friends turned enemies turned brothers. Though there were a handful of lost comic moments such as what appeared to be a single cucumber sandwich eaten by Algernon, which proves inconsistent with the line lamenting the excessive quantity Algernon is said to be eating, and the later absence of sandwiches when Lady Bracknell arrives. Weir uses his gangly frame to add humorous comicality to Jack’s character and he has a decent dialect, although sometimes under-enunciation costs him some jokes. Weston Winegar’s Lane is a humorously light-fingered butler who impressively attempts a bit of a cockney dialect that, although not as strong as other dialects in the cast, is a refreshing take on the character. Winegar’s physical comedy as Merriman in the country estate is quite funny, especially the bits with the luggage.
Recommendation
I always thought the word earnest was synonymous with sincere, but my thesaurus tells me otherwise. Miriam-Webster says earnest means serious, humorless and solemn. It is important to note that Sandy Arts Guild’s Earnest is anything but serious and humorless. It is instead, a delightfully humorous evening.
MORE INFO: The Importance of Being Earnest plays Friday, Saturday and Monday at 7:30PM, through February 14 at the Theater at Mount Jordan (9351 Mountaineer Lane, Sandy). Tickets are $11-17. For more information, visit sandyarts.com