Rice Players' Importance misses mark

By Brian Reinhart     10/1/09 7:00pm

Over a century after its first performance, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is still one of the funniest plays ever written. It is also one of the most popular, since theater troupes know that any production of this fast-paced, laugh-a-minute work will be a hit. But for a new production of Earnest to be truly memorable it has to really stand out. This week's staging by the Rice Players does not.

But that's not to say they don't try. The Players have made an admirable effort on the stage at Hamman Hall. Sets are efficient, costumes are sharp and the tech crew has created some very funny sound cues. There is a welcome irony to the fact that most of the characters are presented not as whimsical conversationalists attempting to be clever, but rather as people who are, well, earnest.

The cast is uneven, but has some notable strengths. As Jack Worthing, Sid Richardson College freshman Alex Karge delivers a sympathetic performance as a sincere character who spends most of the play setting up his friend Algernon's jokes.

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Algernon, played by Baker College freshman Duarte Costeira, is a bit of an enigma. He always seems more verbose and smug onstage than the character on paper, and in the first scene Costeira emphasizes the fact that Algernon is tiresomely self-important. But, as Algie falls in love in the play's second half, wearing an outrageous green golfing costume, Costeira's acting becomes more light hearted - even charming.

Opposite the two men are the real stars of this production, Jones College sophomore McKenzie Sorensen as a very lovable Gwendolyn Fairfax and Sid freshman Mackenzie Turner as her formidable aunt, Lady Bracknell. Bracknell is a fire-breathing society woman who always makes sure she has her way. And Turner does have her way - indeed, seconds after she walks into Act III she has stolen the scene with her sharp tongue and endearing heartlessness.

There are also some rewarding performances among the supporting cast. Martel College senior Christopher Lenzini delivers a heroically funny take on the goofy Canon Chasuble, and Will Rice College freshman Joshua Tilles differentiates between his two roles, both butlers, by donning a spectacular fake mustache.

Unfortunately, other characters are not as strong. Cecily Cardew, played by Hanszen College freshman Courtney Svatek, is forceful and funny in confrontation with others, especially during her spat with Gwendolyn, but her delivery lacks sharpness and the jokes she sells best are physical imitations of the other characters.

When the first and last scenes bring most of the cast together, its weaknesses are evident. Algernon occasionally stumbles his lines, and Lady Bracknell generally speaks with greater variety of rhythm and tone than much of the rest of the cast. As Lady Bracknell quizzes Cecily in the final scene, Jack and Gwendolyn forget that they are madly in love and stand apart, watching disinterestedly.

Director Joseph Lockett, a veteran of Baker Shake, has done what he can to make the show work, but the whole production feels as if it could have benefited from more rehearsal time. Actors are still dropping lines and cues, and sometimes whole pages of dialogue are spoken so quickly that monotony threatens.

But the show is still funny, and added touches of whimsy by the actors, as when Jack and Algernon sing a tune from Monty Python, demonstrate that it has heart.

Ultimately, The Importance of Being Earnest is such a well-written play that any performance is enjoyable and the crowds will always go home happy. But only a very special performance can communicate the full genius of Oscar Wilde's play. This Rice Players performance gives us most of the laughs, but it doesn't have that spark of inspiration.

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