“Never speak disrespectfully of society, Algernon. Only people who can’t get into it do that.”
Lady Bracknell’s advice may be true, but the play’s own playwright fails to follow his character’s instructions. Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” is a masterclass in satire, using wit and subtle humor to mock the triviality of the very society Lady Bracknell and the rest of Wilde’s characters subscribe to.
The Sullivan Theater is preparing for its fifth show of the season, “The Importance of Being Earnest.” The 1895 play centers around the absurd experiences of Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff as they try (and often fail) to juggle friendship, love and false identities in 19th century England.
Derek Walle, who plays the witty, albeit shallow, Algernon Moncrieff, said this role poses unique challenges compared to previous shows he has done. Unlike his role as country-bumpkin Slim from the Sullivan’s recent production of “Oklahoma!” Walle described Algernon as poised and structured, meaning that the actor has less free reign over the character.
“There’s certain ways to move, there’s certain things to wear and certain ways to wear them,” Walle said. “I think I have a robe at some point, and I had it closed. And I was told that I couldn’t close it because that’s not how it works.”
In addition to adjusting to the sophisticated physicality of the characters, the actors also had to adopt British accents for their parts.
“We kind of all just went for it and started with accents day one on our own,” Walle said. “We haven’t had any formal training on the accents. We’re just going for it, trying our best.”
Devin Rogers, who plays Algernon’s foil Jack Worthing, found it challenging to put a British accent over his Southern twang, occasionally catching himself slipping into his own voice. But through practice and patience, the actor has perfectly embodied Jack’s British accent and posh, polite and uptight personality.
This is also Rogers’ first straight play, his only prior experience being in musical theatre. He admitted that he is so used to being in musicals that he finds himself waiting for his cue to burst into song.
“It’s hard because you just talk the whole time, when with singing you get a little break to kind of almost reset. There’s no resetting in this,” Rogers said. “With this, you’re just talking, talking, talking, and there’s no chance to try to — it’s hard to get out of your own head.”
For Courtney Murphy, this is far from her first traditional play, or even her first time in “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Murphy previously played the same role of Gwendolen Fairfax in Theater Baton Rouge’s 2012 production of “Earnest.” Getting to play the same character 13 years apart has been both a liberating experience and an unexpected challenge, said Murphy.
“I thought it would be less complicated to break some of the preconditioned patterns of the way of speaking for a part that you learned 13 years ago,” said Murphy. “But whatever it has to do with—memory or repetition, the pattern in which you speak — sometimes, it comes back to haunt you.”
Still, Murphy believes that getting to revisit the role of Gwendolen after over a decade, especially when toxic standards of beauty and aging are an unfortunate reality, is an incredibly rewarding experience.
“Earnest” itself touches on such topics as gender roles, LGBTQ+ rights and the restrictiveness of the Victorian era. The play is categorized as a comedy of manners, a form of drama that satirizes the social norms of the wealthy elite, pointing out the social class’ hypocrisy and triviality through wit and dry humor. Though the play is set in 1895, many of its themes and core messages ring true today, a point that director Michael Muffuletto hopes comes across to audiences.
“We are kind of bringing to light some of the social issues, such as gender equality,” said Muffuletto, a professor of mathematics at LSU. “Some of the LGBT subtext—we’re kind of bringing that a little bit more to the front.”
“The Importance of Being Earnest” presents more than just compelling social commentary — audiences will undoubtedly get a kick out of the hilarious cast and hopefully rethink some of their preconceptions on what a period play can look like. Walle has his own list of reasons why audiences should attend.
“We’re all good looking, of course,” he joked. “Very beautiful cast, very talented cast.”
Rogers backed up Walle’s point about the show’s exceptionally attractive cast, and he also emphasized the play’s satirical humor and that audiences may walk in expecting a serious play simply by virtue of it being a period piece.
“I think people think it’s serious, yes, but I think that’s the way—the intent—it was written,” Rogers said. “It’s like finding the trivial in the serious. And it’s like how trivial the show is, there’s nothing—how serious we take some of the dumb stuff in it, and I don’t think people will realize that.”
“The Importance of Being Earnest” will open Friday, Sept. 26 and run until Sunday, Oct. 5, and the understudy cast will perform on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on the Sullivan Theater’s website.
