There’s something incredibly satisfying about a story that drops many small clues for the audience to pick up on, like puzzle pieces eventually being slotted into their rightful place to create one large picture. “The Importance of Being Earnest” is one of those stories. It’s such a shame that Oscar Wilde, author of the play, never knew how successful his show would be one day.
“The Importance of Being Earnest” is about two protagonists who have secret identities depending on whether or not they’re in the town or the country, which allows them to escape traditional Victorian norms and pursue love in their own way. Shenanigans ensue, especially when Ernest is not earnest about being Ernest. With each new rule that is established and immediately broken, Wilde has quite a bit to say about traditional Victorian social norms and their flippant nature.
It may be fashionable to eat bread with butter one day and completely inexcusable the next day. Perhaps the show still holds relevant themes to modern day readers, especially as internet trends seem to die out faster than bananas go rotten. Personally, this is a show that I adore and I'm grateful to be a part of it at StageCenter.
Stories like “Holes” by Louis Sachar and “Stardust” by Neil Gaiman hold a special place in my heart for giving readers small nuggets of information before revealing how they all come together for a final conclusion. The same can be said for “The Importance of Being Earnest.” It was.
