By Shannon Eden
The Covey Center’s Black Box Theater opens their production of The Importance of Being Ernest this weekend. Located in the heart of Provo, the Black Box is tucked into a small corner of the upper floor of the Covey Center – intimate and comfortable. Up close and in your face theater at its best.
Running through March 8, The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde is a satirical journey through the lives and relationships of Victorian England. Ernest in the City, and Jack in the Country wants to marry Gwendolyn. Algernon, gone to visit Bunbury (a fictitious friend designed to keep Algie free from responsibility), becomes Ernest to woo Little Cecily. Who is who, and who is really Ernest, and why could that possibly matter? This is the genius of Wilde, and I dare you not to laugh.
The play opens with Jack Worthing (Adam Argyle) and Algernon Moncrief (Jordan Nicholes), two friends conversing over tea, cucumber sandwiches, and bread and butter. With a stagnant set, and no one but the Butler, Lane (Scott Bronson), to offer a bit of well placed sarcasm here and there, Argyle and Nicholes had the task of holding the audience on their own – with great success. The two had great chemistry and comedic timing, improvising when the bread and butter didn’t quite make it on stage without a crack in character, and managing the wordy and complicated jumble of their lines with ease. They moved around a little excessively to my taste at first – up and down for tea, the mirror multiple times, changing seats… However, at the end of Act I, the two find themselves alone on stage again and I enjoyed the honesty of their interaction as they simply sat and bantered.
Lady Bracknell (Tayva Patch) and Gwendolen Fairfax (Jessica Lake) were the perfect combination of a mother-daughter dynamic. Patch was arguably my favorite of the night. With her smugly bored facial expressions and impeccable accent, she emanated the ridiculously prudish nature of her character with every gesture she made. Lake characterized Gwendolen with subtleness – a proper, well-bred lady who you know reads romance novels when no one is looking. She could flit from fluttering eye lashes and coquettish looks to wounded effrontery in an instant, giving great depth to the nature of her character.
Miss Prism (Felesha Cairo) and Cecily Cardew (Cassie Walker) had slightly weaker performances compared to the other leads. Walker wasn’t able to convincingly convey the eighteen-year-old innocence of Cecily. Her appearance and voice were too mature, and her transition into the sheltered ward of Mr. Worthing just seemed too far a hurdle to manage. Because she had to fight so hard for that youthfulness, pushing the facial expressions and gestures to exaggeration, I felt that many of Cecily’s comedy suffered – it just didn’t compare to the natural delivery of her cast-mates. On the opposite spectrum, Cairo could have done more to bring out the maturity and properness of Miss Prism. I felt that her lines were a bit lax and needing more energy.
Dr. Chasuble (Joel Applegate) was a delight. Awkwardly pious, Applegate’s portrayal made me smile every time he spoke. Likewise, Bronson as both Lane and Merriman (don’t let the cast bio’s fool you! although the two were so different from one another, I suppose it’s only fair to give them their own blurb) contributed much to the story with the simple, subtle touches he added with his characters.
Director Lynne Bronson was able to accomplish a great production on such a small, restricted stage. She utilized her actors and the space to accommodate the members of the audience, no matter where they sit. The costuming was beautiful – Lady Bracknell being a standout.
This show was truly a delight to watch. The cast works well together and the script is one that will have the audience laughing out loud throughout the entire production. Wilde is a master of comedy – don’t miss this opportunity to see his work done so well. Gwendolen says, “In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing.” These performers have both.
Opening night February 13th, continues until March 8th. General seating prices vary from $12-$14 a ticket. Call 801-852-7007 or go online to purchase tickets now!
Covey Center for the Arts, 425 W. Center St., Provo
www.coveycenter.org
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