NOW PLAYING: 73rd Ave. Theatre Company Presents THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST Thru 2/19

  The 73rd. Ave. Theatre Company begins 2012 with THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST playing now through February 19. One of the most performed plays of all time, Oscar Wilde makes fun of the English upper classes with light-hearted satire and dazzling humor. The play's focuses on Jack and Algernon, two flippant young men, who, in order to impress their respected beloveds, pretend that their names are “Ernest,” which both young ladies believe confers magical qualities on the possessor.

Under the direction of Thomas Brugger, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST cast includes Zach Fightmaster (Jack Worthing), Nick Kemner (Algernon Moncrieff), Kelsey Kaisershot (Gwendolen Fairfax), Lanie Novack (Cecily Cardew), Nancy Thomas (Lady Bracknell), Suellen Winstead (Miss Prism), Dustin Carlson (Dr. Chasuble), and Bill Thompson (Lane/Merriman).

Oscar Wilde made his reputation in the theatre world between the years 1892 and 1895 with a series of highly popular plays. Lady Windermere's Fan (1892) dealt with a blackmailing divorcée driven to self-sacrifice by maternal love. In A Woman of No Importance (1893) an illegitimate son is torn between his father and mother. An Ideal Husband (1895) dealt with blackmail, political corruption and public and private honor and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) originally produced at the St. James Theater, London, on February 14, 1895. At the height of his success his intimate association with AlFred Douglas led to his trial on charges of homosexuality and he was sentenced to two years hard labor for the crime of sodomy. Wilde died of cerebral meningitis on November 30, 1900, penniless, in a cheap Paris hotel at the age of 46.

The 73rd. Ave. Theatre Company presents Oscar Wilde's THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST delighting audiences now through February 19 with shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m. *(no show Super Bowl Sunday - 2/5). For tickets or more information, contact the box office at 720-276-6936 or online at www.the73rdavenuetheatrecompany.com. The 73rd. Avenue Theater Company is located at 7287 Lowell Blvd. in Westminster, CO.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Katie Kaisershot