Review: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at Scena Theatre

There is something great about a new interpretation of a classic play.

When you go to see a show such as Oscar Wilde's THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, Scena Theatre's latest production, you potentially know what you are walking into: two friends, Algernon and Jack, aspire to lead double lives and conduct themselves as they wish without notice or reproach. One invents a constantly sick friend, the other a wild, gallivanting relative, and these inventions allow them to carry on and travel as they wish.

When the men find themselves at risk of losing their loves and secrecy, drastic measures must be taken. When the men are played by women and vice versa, you have an interesting show and experience ahead.

The production is set in the 1920's, and seems to pull extensively from silent films and Charlie Chaplin. Scenic Designer/Tech Director MICHAEL C. STEPOWANY's set is a mix of black and white, with some furniture pieces and a swing. A screen sits in the middle of the main set piece, displaying black and white scenic photos, quotes, and invented titles of the scenes ahead. It's a pretty backdrop; however, the quotes, for the most part, were just distracting and unnecessary. There are also sound effects for certain gestures, which weren't needed and often late.

Three cheers for the starring women (the actual women) of this show. NANNA INGVARSSON is scowling, insecure and needy as Jack, constantly invoking the hunched over, bitter nature that makes him funny. DANIELLE DAVY is a charming, cavalier Algernon, and doesn't try to be overly masculine. She just makes him appealing and, as he should be, completely absurd. Costume Designer ALISA MANDEL crafts brilliantly colorful suits for each character, showing the direct contrast between the two through color and style.

BRIAN HEMMINGSEN is a hilarious Lady Bracknell. He makes me want more productions of this show to have this character be in drag. He is steady, funny, and plays her straight, which is good, since her lines are anything but plausible if you have any degree of sense.

This directly contrasts GRAHAM PILATO as Gwendolyn. While Pilato's character choices are initially funny, he is the only one who seems to be playing a character in drag, not the character itself. He swings too much between his high and low vocal register, to the point where, by the time it could be really funny, it's overdone. He has moments, however, it was just too much overall.

ROBERT SHEIRE's Cecily is aloof and cute, but also peaks too much, to where it's not the characters anymore, just the men playing them. Is it funny? Yes. But it could be better with the right amount of restraint.

As an experience, I did like this show. It pushes the boundaries of how you see characters you potentially know well, and makes you laugh and squirm simultaneously. There was just too much going on to really focus on how good this could be, and the balance was lost. Go for the fun, gender bending performances and the guffaws they will inevitably bring, and see if you too wish for balance in the interpretation, or, if nothing else, a fun night at the theatre.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST plays until September 13th at Atlas Performing Arts Center on H St NE. For more information, visit the production page.

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