2011-2012 Season
The Importance of Being Earnest
Thursday, November 17, 2011, 7:00pm
A trivial comedy for serious people, this play by Oscar Wilde, performed by Aquila, pokes fun at institutions such as marriage in a satire of Victorian ways.
Aquila Theatre offers a delightful and tantalizing production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, promising to overflow with humor, elegance and romantic comedy. Since its first performance on February 14th 1895, Wilde's masterpiece has become a respected piece of literature and has delighted audiences with its wit and wisdom.
The Importance of Being Earnest tells the tale of Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, both young men who have taken to bending the truth to add a dash of excitement to their lives. Jack has invented an imaginary brother, Ernest, whom he uses as an excuse to escape from his dull home in the country in order to frolic in town. Algernon has an imaginary friend, Bunbury, who provides a convenient and frequently used method of taking adventures in the country. However, their deceptions eventually cross paths, resulting in a series of hilarious discoveries that threaten to spoil their romantic pursuits.
Earnest is full of insights into the flamboyant lifestyle of the fashionable British upper classes and as Algernon admits, "If I am occasionally over dressed, I make up for it by being always immensely over educated." The New York Times has described Aquila’s productions as “Gleefully engaging…almost unbearable fun…directed with inspiration and a beautiful use of physical humor” while The New Yorker has raved “Beautifully spoken, dramatically revealing and crystalline in effect.”
Crammed full of larger than life characters and memorable satirical humor, Aquila's creative staging and sparkling flare for language make this production one not to be missed.