Mount Greylock Staging 'The Importance of Being Earnest'
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Oscar Wilde's classic Victorian English comedy of mistaken identity comes alive for two nights this weekend as Mount Greylock Regional High School students stage "The Importance of Being Earnest" on Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m.
First produced in 1895, with the most recent movie remake in 2002, the comedy of manners is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest stage comedies of all time and is among the British playwright's most famous and popular works. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and students.
The nine-member cast includes Patrick Madden, Rufus Paisley, Sarah Phelps, Petra Mijanovic, Isabel Kaufman, Sam Shuker-Haines, Gwen Tunnicliffe, Charlie Sutter and Peter Iwasiwka.
"We're hoping to present an accessible, hysterical adventure in fictitious identities, amusing prejudice, spurned social obligations and Victorian foibles," says student Christopher Densmore, who is co-directing the production as his required "senior project" before June graduation from Mount Greylock. "I've been amazed by how diligently all the actors have pursued their characters." Co-director is Rachel Sheppard and the faculty advisor is Tom Ostheimer.
The plot involves two young men in the 1890s English country side who decided separately to adopt the name "Ernest" in city and rural courtships. The plot thickens as each gentleman finds himself in the countryside at the same time with their lovers - simultaneously using the phony name. While the affairs of each erstwhile Ernest continue in earnest, Wilde's wit manages an hilarious social farce of discovery.
