THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNESTLY LGTBQ+ Launches New Season This Month

The Importance of Being Earnestly LGBTQ+ begins its second Off-Broadway season presenting its hilariously unique and contemporary spin on Oscar Wilde's "trivial comedy for serious people" beginning Thursday, May 12 at The Actors Temple (339 West 47th Street between 8th & 9th Avenues). Tickets are on sale now.

Produced by John Lant and Maarten Cornelis with Write Act Repertory and Gatehouse Entertainment, The Importance of Being Earnestly LGBTQ+ showcases a mix of new cast members and a number of returning favorites in this classic tale that gets a glam New York City makeover.

The story centers on John "Jack" Worthing who loves New York City and Gwyn Fairfax. He decides he can have both when he assumes the name of his made-up brother, Ernest. When Algernon, "Algy" (John's best friend) falls in love with Cecil (John's ward), he too decides to take on the name of Ernest. With John pursuing one man and Algy pursuing another, Lady Bracknell (who happens to be Gwyn's mother) slowly unravels the odd strings of potential matchmaking. Two men sharing one name inevitably leads to a mess of imaginary identities, good-natured gossip, and ridiculous romance.

OnStage Blog says the show is a "...delightfully imaginative adaptation that demonstrates a clear understanding of Wilde's text while also making it fresh for the modern audience." While TheaterScene.net says it "wildly lives up to its title," and is "witty, steadfast and daffy."

"Wilde's play is a masterpiece and I wanted to stay as close to the original language as I could. But I also approached it as if Wilde lived in a different time and in a society in which LGBTQ+ characters evolved without bigotry," said Producer and Director Maarten Cornelis. "We were thrilled that audiences responded so positively to it when it opened last year and our plan is to make this an annual event so people will have an ongoing opportunity to experience it."

Tickets start at $49.50 and are on sale now via Telecharge at www.telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6200. For more information, please visit https://actorstempletheatre.com/ or https://www.earnestlgbtq.com/

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