Gabrielle Tran | Contributor
Featured Image: ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is classical wit. | Gabrielle Tran
Opening their 101st season, the Alumnae Theatre presents Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest.’ Running from September 21 until October 6, Director Barbara Larose and company have translated Wilde’s comic masterpiece with flair, offering the public a fine, modern rendition of this classic work.
Actresses Laura Meadows, playing Cecily, and Kathryn Geertsema, playing Gwendolen, note that it was daunting to step into such iconic literary roles. However, during the performance, they act confidently, rising to the level demanded by the literature. Much of their confidence stems from their educational background at York. As Meadows explains, “Being out of York for three years now, I can see the acting conservatory gave me tools that I can now pick and choose from during my preparation.”
In the play, we encounter John Worthing, who is caring for his young ward, Cecily. John has invented a younger brother named Earnest. He makes up stories and utilizes this fictional character as an excuse to run off and get into hijinks. While posing as Earnest in London, Jack meets and falls in love with Gwendolen. As the play continues, Gwendolen’s cousin Algernon is starting to suspect that Earnest is living a double-life.
A major theme is the characters’ tension with upper-class morals. For example, both John and Algernon employ aliases in order to escape their upper-class responsibilities.
In Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen’s mother, we see Wilde lampoon the British upper class and show the pressures put upon women. In the play, Lady Bracknell has married for money, as so many women must. Armed with a notebook, she guards her daughter’s future hawkishly, scrawling down the names of potential suitors. She represents Victorian marriage structures getting in the way of love.
In this respect, it’s notable that Larose has made a subtle, but symbolic, change. Merriman and Lane, the two male butler character, are acted now by women. In regard to these matters, Geertsema notes sharply that “The truth of the matter is that these words are still written by a man and there’s only so much you can change.”
There’s no denying that ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is a classic work with modern implications, well-deserving of continued performance. However, it is still a product of it’s time—a work that reflects a plethora of archaic perceptions of women. “There are some problem lines for sure—like one of my lines is ‘Men show physical courage that we women know nothing about,’” says Meadows.
Geertsema agrees, adding “Both then and now it’s clear there’s the self-determination of what is truth. Do these women believe in their words, or has it been internalized in hearsay?”
The Alumnae Theatre, well-known as a serious purveyor of high-quality theatre, is also celebrated for empowering women in the entertainment industry.
When asked about the future for women in theatre, both Geertsema and Meadows are refreshingly optimistic. “When I look for monologues, half of them are for men, or about my period, or my dress not fitting. There’s no truth in what females go through. There isn’t a specific role I want; it’s what roles we need to create. It’s not there yet, but we’ll find it. So, let’s write it.”
