The Importance of Being Earnest," by Oscar Wilde, is set in London and the English countryside. One would think, then, that the actors performing this play might make some effort to affect English accents. Unfortunately, only three members of the Arena Stage's cast manage to speak without bludgeoning the accent of our English forebears. The rest of the cast seems to have lacked any assistance from a dialogue coach, and are instead fine with just winging it. Wilde may have been rolling over in his grave.
Were this the only problem with "Earnest," it might have been fine. But the major problem with this production is not so much the terrible accents, but the inconsistency of the acting. Michael Skinner, as John Worthing, overacts and seems very uncomfortable in the skin of 19th-century England. He seems less an uptight gentleman and more a bull in a china shop. This comes especially in contrast to the fluid performance of Ian Kahn, as Algernon Moncrieff, whose accent and demeanor fit the time and place perfectly.
The love interests of the two men pretending to be Ernest are not much better. Susan Lynskey (as Gwendolyn Fairfax) and Tymberlee Chanel (as Cecily Cardew) fail to provide the gentility and feminine wiles of their characters. Wilde was trying to make a point with this play; it was a social critique of the English aristocracy. The characters are meant to be caricatures. Their dialogue is ironic. But with the exception of Kahn, Helen Hedman (as Miss Prism) and Hugh Nees (Lane/Merriman), the cast members do not play their parts ironically or self-consciously.
Traditionally, "Earnest" is funny because these people Wilde created for us are so over-the-top with their self-importance that the audience has no choice but to laugh. This production's cast is not confident enough in their approach to their characters. It seems that the irony has been lost on the actors.
One bright spot in the production is the scenery. Arena Stage offers an unusual theater experience with seating in the round, so the audience has a 360-degree view of the actors. The director of set and costume design, Zack Brown, makes excellent use of this space with vibrant colors and intricate detail. Even the flowers in the garden are used to authenticate the production. While looking down on the stage, one really does feel transported to 19th-century London. In this production, the set design plays an important role in telling part of the story.
"Earnest" is not all bad. Though the cast struggles at times, they shine at others. The level of acting seems to be raised when Kahn is on stage, and Skinner manages to even calm down somewhat by the third act. Despite some pitfalls, the words are still Wilde's, and the plotline is so ridiculous, one simply has to laugh. This production might be best described as a kind of 19th-century sitcom: It is mediocre, but not without merit. While "Earnest" might not reach the level of hilarity of Wilde's words on paper, it is still entertaining.
