Beth Fowler
photo by Carol Rosegg

By Dr. Dorothy Marcic
The Irish Repertory’s artistic director, Charlotte Moore, is to be commended on her ambitious decision to direct the musicalization of what is often believed to be one of Oscar Wilde's all-time favorite comedic plays. The plot is not the main theme, but rather the skewering of Victorian morals and behaviors.

Many people are familiar with the story: Ernest Worthing is in love with Gwendolyn, daughter of the formidable Lady Bracknell and the niece of his good friend Algernon Moncrieff. Ernest visits his friend Algernon, who blows the cover on Ernest’s double life. Turns out he is Jack in the country, but pretends to be his errant brother, Ernest, in the city, which provides a reason for Jack to visit London often. In the country, Jack must be a proper role model for his 18 year-old Ward, the lovely heiress Cicely. It’s a story of mistaken identity, when Algernon arrives in the country and starts another double life, appearing to Cicely as Jack’s wayward brother, Ernest, who promises to reform. They fall in love. Gwendolyn arrives to find that Cicely is engaged to Ernest, but in true Wilde form obscure beginnings and loose ends are cleverly tied in a neat package that rests on the importance of the name, Ernest.

Starting a musical based on Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Ernest with “la-la-la-la-la” for 200 counts doesn’t give one the feeling that the lyrics are going to match the acerbic wit of the original play. Fortunately, the songs (lyrics by Anne Croswell and music by Lee Pockriss) go by quickly and almost pleasantly, so no harm done. Only one song comes close to the edginess of Wilde’s text. I wish more of the songs had the cleverness of the hilarious “A Handbag is Not Proper Mother,” which more closely mirrors Wilde’s ingeniously cunning dialogue. Most of the songs, though, had such memorable and cutting lines as “How do you tell her all you’re thinking of” or “First you say, how do you do? My what a marvelous day.” Compare that to Wilde lines such as, “When one is in town one amuses oneself. When one is in the country one amuses other people. It is excessively boring.”

With such witty dialogue and immensely talented actors (marvelously directed by Moore), a sparse but beautiful set designed by James Morgan, mood-enhancing lighting by Brian Nason, and richly designed period costumes by Linda Fisher, one wonders why bother with adding songs to what is perhaps a perfect play, anyway? At least Pokriss’s music was lilting with some catchy tunes. I especially liked the duets with harmonies and counterpoint. Quite lovely. And the chamber quartet (conducted by Mark Hartman) of keyboard, harp, cello and violin perfectly matched the time period and mood.

The show had much to like. Not only was the choreography simple and elegant with the tap-dancing especially enchanting, but choreographer Barry McNabb turned what is normally a pedantic exercise into an upbeat, smile-inducing experience when between scenes he had the actors move set pieces while dancing.

The actors were marvelous, all performing admirably. Beth Fowler as the caustic Lady Braknell stole every scene she was in and has perfected the art of rolling “R’s” to cause severe vibrations around her. Ian Holcomb as Algernon was so well suited to the part that I thought Wilde himself would come onstage to applaud. He used slight behaviors, such as tossing back his topcoat tails as he sat down, to indicate his station in life. Notable was Annika Boras as Gwendolyn, and the studied way she drew out to final syllables of some words to drive home the sarcasm, as well as her good breeding reminiscent of Joan Greenwood in the 1952 film also starring Michael Redgrave. Noah Racey as Jack was delightful and the perfect foil to Algernon.

A little more on the costumes. They were so well done, they became characters themselves, adding richness to the scenes. Lady Bracknell’s brown and black striped dress, with matching hat topped with pheasant feathers and an orange and green bird, along with her brown and black striped cane, which she confidently used to show her indignation, were breathtaking. I was also entranced by Gwendolyn’s lush brown gown, with its deep collar and swirling lines, her matching hat with maroon feathers and the pearl necklace that hung so gracefully around her lovely neck. Fisher’s attention to detail was evident. Less endearing, though, was her choice to clothe Cicely in a dress that looked like one Amy Adams wore in the movie, Enchanted--and I mean the one she fashioned out of shower curtains.

The show has so delighted audiences that the Irish Repertory Theater has extended it through February 14. Don’t miss it. As you leave the theater, I predict you will want to say, as Cicely does, “How nice of you to like me so much after we have known each other such a comparatively short time.”

Irish Repertory Theater
132 West 22nd Street
New York, NY 10011-2418
(212) 727-2737