The Importance of Being Earnest
BY ERIN TOBIN '23
On March 17th and 24th, ABRHS’s Proscenium Circus will perform The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People. This show, written by Oscar Wilde, contains exuberant characters, elegant dresses, and British accents. In addition, the play entails a perplexing plot which ultimately drives its characters to confusion and chaos.
The play is set in the Victorian Era, a time of perfection, modesty, and prominent social hierarchies. Algernon Moncreiff, the witty lead, uses an imaginary character as a seemingly foolproof excuse to get out of posh social events Unfortunately, one of his closest acquaintances, Jack Earnest, decides he’d like to reap the benefits of this character, too. Confusion arises as stories of said shared justification overlap and become intertwined with the complexities of love and death. Crew member Portia Thompson ’23 commented, “[t]here was a twist that I definitely was not expecting.” The show’s plot centers around resolving this pandemonium before all is lost and Algernon’s ambitions become unreachable. Despite being set in the 1800’s, The Importance of Being Earnest communicates a timeless message to its viewers. During the pandemic, we’ve all experienced tumultuous ups and downs. As we return to pre-pandemic norms, we are forced to rebound without adequate time to reconcile with the turmoil of the past few years. The characters in The Importance of Being Earnest have been put in a difficult situation; they all must remain eloquently spoken and exasperatingly opulent while disaster looms one mishap away. Olivia Burgess ’22, a student actor, noted, “The end of this story is delightfully chaotic, but you’ll have to see the show to be in the know.” The resolution of the story provides an optimistic mindset to its viewers, as even in times of impending disaster, solutions and satisfaction can be found. To find out more, make sure to watch Proscenium Circus’s production next week! |