Theater Review: CCTC/HJT’s ‘Importance of Being Earnest’ Is Wilde Fun

 A well-written play never goes out of style. And Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest,” a farce that debuted in 1895, is still hilarious today. 

 Wilde's witty dialogue and silly situations are on full display in the Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre’s production. The playwright makes fun of society's norms as the audience follows along with two young men who have each invented fictional identities to escape the drudgery of social obligations. Jack’s alter ego is his wicked brother Ernest, and Algernon’s is a sick friend called Bunbury. Of course, when their foolery is discovered it makes for one fun scenario after another. 

 When you put this comical play in the hands of the innovative couple Nick Nudler and Kirsten Peacock, you’re sure to see something fresh and new. The two are known for exciting theater. The directorial team had their actors embrace the jocularity of the dialogue and then infused it with wild and crazy physical antics to loud, flamboyant music. It may sound bizarre, but it works with the plotlines of exaggerated silliness. 

Xavi Villejo’s portrayal of Lady Bracknell brought down the house on opening night. The young actor nails the haughty nature of a grand madam in Victorian society through over-the-top vocal inflections and facial gestures. We could have watched and listened to this “lady” all night long! 

 Algernon and Jack are portrayed by TJ O’Leary and Camille Branch. The two talented actors were in perfect sync, and their clever banter was hysterical. O’Leary never missed a cue in his comebacks to Branch’s many matter-of-fact statements. 

 Nansea Flynn shone with her droll scene‑stealing remarks every time she stepped on or off the stage as a servant in each household. As the young men’s love interests with an unnatural appeal for the name Ernest, Jasmine MacDonald (Gwendolyn) and Emma Miles (Cecily) embraced their roles with gusto. Great casting is noteworthy here also: the two couples, Jack and Gwendolyn and Cecily and Algernon, paired well together in their stature as well. Jane Sincere Morris’s Miss Prism garnered many laughs with her physical demeanor, shimmying and shaking with excitement. As the local man of the cloth, Chris Callendar stood tall over all with his presence. 

 Nudler’s sound design was fun, and Matt Kohler’s set design was simple and colorful. Cat Murphy and Peacock designed the detailed and historically accurate costumes. Laura Froescher did a great job on double duty as both the stage manager and the lightboard operator. Kohler did the lighting design in addition to his set and technical director job. Fionn Pina Parker was Kohler’s assistant technical director and Alex Ingraham was the soundboard operator. They never missed a beat, and there were many beats! 

 The play is fast-paced and the opening night audience kept up with all the hilarity for two hours or more with a brief intermission. Laughter shook the rafters in this lovely old theater. What fun!