Theater students from MSU will be performing Oscar Wilde’s critically acclaimed play “The Importance of Being Earnest” tonight and Saturday at 7:30 in the McComas Hall Main Stage Theatre.
Written in 1895, “Earnest” is Oscar Wilde’s famous Victorian-era melodrama that has intrigued audiences for years.
When faced with the task of choosing a play to perform, MSU professor Jo Durst said she chose “Earnest” because of its light-heartedness and the cast’s ability to carry a substantial play.
Her husband Wayne Durst, also the scene designer for the theater and the communication department, said that the play is one that challenges the actors and lets them experience how to make a period piece.
“We decided to do ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ because it’s a large show that stretches the kids who are performing in it,” Wayne Durst said. “It’s a comedy, and we try to do a happy show in the spring. It has a lot of great roles in it, plus it’s a period piece. And because we have a costumer now, all the costumes are individual, realistic and incredibly extravagant.”
Three of the actors in the play-Brandon Morris, who plays Rev. Canon Chasuble; James Comans, who plays John Worthing; and Whitney Kerney, who plays Cecily Cardew-all shared their feelings on why “Earnest” was such a great play for them to be able to experience before graduating in May.
“Being able to work with the language that Oscar Wilde uses is a very exciting part of the play for me,” Morris said. “He uses sophisticated language so that every word is so important in developing that character, and just being able to dissolve a character that is so complicated is a great joy.”
“It’s very colorful; for the period that we’re doing it in, it’s very decadent and real,” Comans said. “I always heard it was a love story and never had any interest in wanting to do it, but when I read the script, I saw it was a guy’s love story, too.”
“‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is a very fun and challenging play to put on and perform,” Kerney said. “My character is a lot like myself, very wild and looking for adventure, so I’ve gotten the opportunity to get into my character and get into her personal side.”
“‘The show is essentially driven by wit, so the language is crucial,” Wayne Durst said. “It’s a fun and popular show to do. We’ve been wanting to do it for several years and this year we really felt like we had the right talent, and all the pieces sort of fell together. We were ready to do a show this size.”
Because the “Earnest” itself is a light-hearted play, Wayne Durst said the cast just fit right in and had fun with the material. He says the chemistry within the cast is what makes the show great.
“It’s always exciting to see the cast come together and work together and have fun with the material,” Wayne Durst said. “It’s one of the most rewarding things, I think, in educational theater.”
Kerney said the cast has a great working relationship.
“We’ve gotten really close throughout the play, and we’ve become sort of like a family,” she added.
The cheerfulness of “Earnest” is what makes it so loveable by not only the cast, but by millions of people worldwide. The language is never too difficult and many people can relate to the subject matter.
“The humor and characters in ‘Earnest’ is very much a part of its time and culture,” Wayne Durst said. “‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is about a few young ladies who are determined to only love guys named Earnest, and the whole show presents the guys trying to get their names changed to Earnest. It’s a light comedy, certainly suitable for anyone.”
“I think it’s a play that a lot of people will like,” Morris said. “It’s not like Shakespearean play where it would be really hard to understand the language. Anyone can sit down and watch this play and get the comedy because it’s hard not to laugh at this play.”
“It’s a language-based show, and it’s fun to watch,” Kerney said. “It’s right on the surface; take it at face-value. There’s nothing serious that you have to think long and hard about. It’s a very playful show that lets you relax and laugh at the characters.”
With one performance down and two to go, the cast hopes their enjoyment of “Earnest” will shine through to the audience, and that they, too, will be turned onto this memorable play.
“It’s a classic play by Oscar Wilde that combines history and humor very well,” Morris said. “It appeals to a wide audience.”
“We’ve put a lot of hard work into this play,” Wayne Durst said. “It’s a delightful show and I encourage everyone to see it.”
Student and MSU Staff ticket prices are $5, and general admission ticket prices are $10. For more information, contact Jo Durst at 325-3203.