There is a wonderful tradition in the theatre that when you are mounting a comedy the pre-show music should somehow get the audience in the right frame of mind by playing something light and appropriate before the curtain. I knew from the exceedingly loud and dramatic music which preceded this play that we were in for some unfunny moments ahead. It appears that the sound designer has never heard of Strauss waltzes, which would have been very suitable for an Oscar Wilde piece. Also, non-millennials are NOT deaf.
Somehow Adam Capriolo and Rebecca Gibian had a wild notion that they could modernize Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, a period piece, by adding references to contemporary news items and using uninspiring contemporary music. They seemed to have lost the essence of the original play which is close to perfect. As for their direction, they somehow made the sound levels of the head mikes so loud that the actors always seemed to be screeching and particularly in the case of Theodore Vlachos as Lady Bracknell. One missed his best line because the screeching came to a sudden halt, and so the greatest line could not be heard.
There is only one rule when mounting a comedy. It must be funny. One way of doing this is to use “set up, set up and delivery”. Wilde understood this so innately that the structure was written into the scenes. Changing the lines did not add anything to the humour. Carter Gulseth had some good moments as Algernon, but he needed more direction. Mugging is only funny once, if that. Hasani Freeman who played Jack had terrible diction and like Gulseth occasionally dropped his accent. Stephanie McKenna as Lane / Miss Prism was quite delightful as both.
Juliana Monk playing Gwendolen was very good with her mike which made her actually funny, Mara Lazaris as Cecily played her well and deserved her laughs. Theodore Vlachos played Lady Bracknell in high screech and a lot of the text was just lost. His performance as Dr. Chasuble was slightly better, because his speech was almost tolerable.
To the adapters directors of this work, only modernise that which actually needs it. Dramaturgy is an acquired skill set, and so is directing. When the intermission music is so loud that one cannot converse with one`s neighbour, it seems intentional. If the directors had rehearsed with the head mikes they might have adjusted the levels to a human scale.
The Importance of Being Earnest runs until August 17 at various parks. The show is presented in English with French subtitles via a free web app. Free admission. Details HERE.