The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, Mary Moody Northen Theatre, St. Edward's University, April 11 - 21, 2013

by Michael Meigs


The delightful wit and frivolity of Oscar Wilde's conceit for this play and the immense seriousness his characters apply to it make The Importance of Being Earnest an enduring favorite. This is the fourth staging of the work in the region since I began writing about theatre nearly five years ago, and it never grows stale. Wilde is not Shakespeare, but his work has a similar vitality and adaptability. His razor-sharp teasing of a distinct sector of English society seems bright and new each time I see it, and the actors deliver it with refreshingly personal modulations.

Richard Robichaux casts this piece deftly and well, neatly pairing companion roles. As the devil-may-care Algernon and his slightly priggish friend Jack, Josean Rodriguez and Jon Richardson differ in aspect and attitude, but they're really alike as two peas in a pod (or perhaps as two babes in a bassinet, which is eventually more to the point). 

Josean Rodriguez

They've mastered both the vowels and the rhythms of that insufferable upper-class "U" talk and they radiate confidence and self-satisfaction, just as two promising young men-about-town should do. Faculty member Sheila Gordon is credited as dialect coach, and she's done a cracking good job with everyone on stage.

The eligible young ladies offer another finely modulated pair. Hannah Marie Fonder as Gwendolyn has the precisely controlled chill of the very best of society, and her ice-cream elegance plays well against Sophia Franzella as Cecily, the energetic young brunette on the estate who's bored with her German lessons and eminently ready to escape if only a suitor should come calling.

And though they're not paired in the play, Barbara Chisholm and Robert Faires are paired in real life, and they provide quite different comic portrayals that are informed, vivid and veresimilar. I've carried in memory for years the aged Dame Edith Evans' haughtily crushing portrayal of the no-nonsense Lady Bracknell in a filmed version, and I was intrigued to see how Chisholm would manage one of the most adamantly comic characters of the stage. The answer, in short, is that she carries it off superbly. This Lady Bracknell is no oldie and by no means is she sexless; Chisholm delivers the ferociousness, the conviction and the dame's completely unapologetic snobbishness. And she's attractive, to boot; the wonderfully towering chapeaux provided by costume designer T'Cie Mancuso are so much a part of the character that one imagines them completely inseparable from the personality.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

An Unofficial Video Promo for The Importance of Being Earnest, Mary Moody Northen Theatre, St. Edward's University, April 11 - 21, 2013

Jon Richardson posts a 30-second unofficial video for the production by









(St. Edward's University, 3001 South Congress Avenue)


of


The Importance of Being Earnest
  
by Oscar Wilde


directed by Richard Robichaux


April 11 - 21, 2013, 7:30 p.m. (Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.)


Mary Moody Northen Theatre, St. Edward's University, 3001 S. Congress Avenue (click for map)







Tickets: $20 Adults Advance ($15 Students, Seniors, SEU Community), $20 at the door; STUDENT DISCOUNT NIGHT: Friday, April 12: Student tickets $8 with ID. Available through the MMNT Box Office, 512.448.8484; Available online at http://www.stedwards.edu/theatre. Box Office Hours are M-F 1-5 p.m.

LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN by Oscar Wilde, Austin Playhouse, March 15 - April 7, 2013

[Austin Playhouse, temporary facility at Highland Mall, 6001 Airport Blvd - click for map]


presents

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST by Oscar Wilde, Mary Moody Northen Theatre, April 11 - 21, 2013

(St. Edward's University, 3001 South Congress Avenue)

presents

The Importance of Being Earnest

by Oscar Wilde

directed by Richard Robichaux

April 11 - 21, 2013, 7:30 p.m. (Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.)

Mary Moody Northen Theatre, St. Edward's University, 3001 S. Congress Avenue (click for map)

Tickets: $20 Adults Advance ($15 Students, Seniors, SEU Community), $20 at the door; STUDENT DISCOUNT NIGHT: Friday, April 12: Student tickets $8 with ID. Available through the MMNT Box Office, 512.448.8484; Available online at http://www.stedwards.edu/theatre. Box Office Hours are M-F 1-5 p.m.

Mary Moody Northen Theatre, the award-winning producing arm of the St. Edward’s University professional theatre training program, continues its 40^th anniversary season with The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, directed by Richard Robichaux, running April 11 - 21, 2013.

This glorious comedy of manners was the most popular play by the quintessential bad boy of his day. Join young suitors Algernon, Jack, Cecily and Gwendolyn as they negotiate mislaid babies, mistaken identities, secret engagements, baffled suitors, one overbearing mother and some of the wittiest wordplay ever tossed over afternoon tea. This delectable morsel of a play will delight your sprit and leave you laughing long after the curtain comes down. Featuring guest artists Barbara Chisholm as Lady Bracknell, Robert Faires as Dr. Chasuble and Irene White as Miss Prism, The Importance of Being Earnest promises to be smart, silly and wicked fun.

"The Importance of Being Earnest” is the rare work of art that achieves perfection on its own terms. – The New York Times

About Mary Moody Northen Theatre Mary Moody Northen Theatre operates on a professional model and stands at the center of the St. Edward’s University Theatre Training Program. Through the Mary Moody Northen Theatre, students work alongside professional actors, directors and designers, explore all facets of theatrical production and earn points towards membership in Actor’s Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. MMNT operates under an AEA U/RTA contract and is a member of Theatre Communications Group. For more information, contact the theatre program at 512-448-8487 or visit us online at www.stedwards.edu/theatre.


About St. Edward's University St. Edward’s is a private, liberal arts Catholic university in the Holy Cross Tradition with more than 5,300 students. Located in Austin, Texas, with a network of partner universities around the world, St. Edward’s is a diverse community that offers undergraduate and graduate programs designed to inspire students with a global perspective. St. Edward's University has been recognized for ten consecutive years as one of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S. News & World Report, and ranks in the top 20 of Best Regional Universities in the Western Region. St. Edward’s has also been recognized by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Upcoming: The Importance of Being Earnest, University Theatre Guild, UT-Austin, October 26 - 28

presents

The Importance of Being Earnest
by Oscar Wilde
Friday, October 26 - Sunday, October 28
Jester Auditorium, Jester Hall, University of Texas

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Classic Theatre San Antonio Announces Its 2012-2013 Season

announces the 2012 - 2013 season:

Season tickets $60 - $80 for four productions, available via

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

August 10 - 26

The Firebugs by Max Frisch

October 12 - 28

Painting Churches by Tina Howe

February 8 - 24, 2013

Scapin by Molière

May 10 - 26, 2013

Upcoming: Salome, Wondrous Strange Players at Renaissance Community Market, May 13 - June

Received directly:

Wondrous Strange Players proudly present

Oscar Wilde's

Salomé

a story of decadence and obsession on a biblical scale: THE DANCE WORTH HALF A KINGDOM

May 13 - 22, June 10 - 19, Fridays- Sundays, 8 p.m.

6800 WestGate Blvd at William Cannon

Tickets $12 at the door

For any questions call 832-492-8031. www.wondrousstrange.org

Wondrous Strange invites you to a night of debauchery, madness, and doom, served with coffee and dessert. Have a seat on the stage as the Wondrous Strange players enact Oscar Wilde's Salomé, a story of decadence and obsession. Witness the macabre tale of Salomé and Iokannon unfold, and behold the infamous Dance of the Seven Veils, with its monstrous consequences!

I WILL KISS THY MOUTH, IOKANNON

Director Casey Allen, a laid-back poet with charm that borders on the supernatural, calmly steers his actors through beautifully chaotic moments of the story while playing an intimidating Iokanaan. Cristl Climans returns in the title role of the beautiful and dangerous Salomé herself. Christopher Harris takes on the role of the loathsome and slimy King Herod while Sabrina Tarbutton rolls her eyes at him as his wife Herodias. A charmingly drunken Tigellinas is played by Julio Mella while Steven Brandt brings a dry humor and dapper air to King Herod’s bodyguard. Travis Doherty, playing the Young Syrian, and Ksynia Hoover, playing the Page, joined the cast for Richard III and proudly returns in Wondrous Strange’s production of Salomé.

Images from The Importance of Being Earnest, Austin Playhouse, January 14 - February 20

Austin Playhouse posts images by an uncredited photographer, January 20, for

Oscar Wilde’s

The Importance of Being Earnest:

A Trivial Comedy for Serious People

Directed by Don Toner

Featuring Rick Roemer as Lady Bracknell and Bernadette Nason as Miss Prism

January 14 – February 13; Thursday–Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m.

Austin Playhouse, 3601 S. Congress, Bldg. C

www.austinplayhouse.com and on Facebook and Twitter

Tickets: $26 Thursday and Friday, $28 Saturday and Sunday, $35 Opening Night

Can be purchased at the box office 512.476.0084 or online at: www.austinplayhouse.com

To become a subscriber: call 512.476.0084

Click to view larger versions and additional images at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Click to view full album on Facebook. . . .

Ongoing: Salomé by Oscar Wilde, Austin Drama Club, November 5 - 21

Received directly:

Hello Theatre Fans,
The Austin Drama Club welcomes you to come enjoy the underground biblical hit from so long ago......

Salomé
by Oscar Wilde
November 5 - 21, Thursdays - Saturdays, 8 p.m.
Austin Drama Club

Do you remember the story about the John the Baptist, the guy who gave Jesus the idea to dunk heads under water as a sign of spiritual re-birth? Do you remember how John the Baptist met his maker and why? It had to do with one hot, lit babe called Salomé who because of her pervert of a dad, King Herod, does a little dance and gets what she wants tonight as the moon turns a bloody red.

Back in the day Oscar Wilde was the bomb playwright. His plays stand the test of time and most are of the light, farcical nature. Salomé was his private play for close friends and those he could trust with secrets. Oscar later did some time in a brutal English prison for confessing his gentle disposition and his weakness for young men. Up until then had been seen in the best of society and had adapted quite well. Wit and play writing were the focus of his life and he had no interest in political martyrdom.

Salomé was first performed by the Austin Drama Club in August of 08. The vision for the show belongs to poet Casey Allen who returns as director with most of the original cast. Casey turns King Herod's bash into a costume party where Herod (Christopher Harris) comes as Elvis. Casey plays John, the doomed prophet. Erin Jo E. is his angry wife. Kat Eason returns as their daughter Salomé with a dance of the 7 veils not to be missed.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: An Ideal Husband, Austin Shakespeare at the Rollins Theatre, Feb 11 - March 1

Found at the Austin Shakespeare website:

Experience Oscar Wilde's delicious comedy that makes a whipped cream of wit at the climax of the glittering 19th century. In London's fashionable society, the captivating Mrs. Cheverly threatens a rising statesman with blackmail for his youthful indiscretions.

In this professional production from Austin Shakespeare, the new Long Center's Rollins Theatre is transformed for the first time into an Arena with audience surrounding the action on all four sides. Co-sponsored by The Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin. The show runs from Feb 12 - Mar 1, with a low price preview on Wednesday Feb 11. Call 474-LONG or visit http://thelongcenter.frontgatesolutions.com for tickets.