The sparkling comic wit of Oscar Wilde is on display in this classic satire that pokes fun at the triviality of the English upper classes of the 1890s.
The plot concerns two young gentlemen who use the same pseudonym, which is fine until they both fall in love, and a comedy of mistaken identities develops. The mother of one of the young women who are the objects of their affections is the fearsome Lady Bracknell, who represents the ultimate arbiter of good taste and morality.
When the playwright conceived the role of the outrageous Lady Bracknell, he did not intend it to be played by male actors. Many have found it irresistible, though, and have played the part anyway.
In the Sandhills Little Theatre’s production, David Bozza joins the ranks of men who have taken on the challenge of portraying the formidable noblewoman.
Well-known British Shakespearean actor William Hutt was memorable in the role, and the list of American regional theaters that have welcomed men in the role include the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis and California’s Menlo Park Showcase Productions Repertory Theater.
According to Sandra Epperson, artistic director of the Sandhills Little Theatre, she recalled some of this theatrical history, and asked David Bozza if he would like to audition for the part.
His response was “I would kill to read Lady Bracknell.” Bozza, a student at SCC, who was bitten by the acting bug at age 10, was seen in the SLT’s production of “Oliver!” last fall.
Dressing Bozza for the role demanded a significant degree of imagination by the woman who handles costuming for the theater.
However, Kathy Schilling was up to the task. She recommended he be corseted, and fashioned gowns for him befitting the image of a highborn English lady. A wig provided by hairdresser Doreen Cangemi completes the picture.
The only item of clothing that presented a problem was finding size 15 women’s boots.
Kathy Schilling, who with her two older daughters created and/or located all of the 15 costumes for the show, used rich fabrics in stunning shades to authentically reproduce the women’s dresses and hats of the Victorian period. Emily Schilling specializes in detail work, trimming the gowns, while Elizabeth Schilling searches the Internet for hard-to-find pieces of costuming, like Lady Bracknell’s boots.
“It’s a labor of love for Kathy and her daughters,” says Epperson. “She buys the materials and sewing supplies for which we pay, but the mother-daughter team works on the costuming on a strictly volunteer basis. They are an amazing family.”
Schilling and her husband, Justin, have 10 children, all home-schooled. Justin Schilling, retired from military service, is presently in Iraq, working on a contract basis for the Army.
Jack and Algernon, the two leads in “The Importance of Being Earnest,” are played by Michael Norman and Adam Faw. Both of them are teachers.
Faw, who is the artistic and technical director of the Pinecrest High School Theater Department, studied theater at Appalachian State University and got his start on stage in his hometown of Mount Airy in “West Side Story.”
Norman, who teaches at The O’Neal School, originally from England, has lived in North Carolina since he was a teenager. A 2002 graduate of Duke University, he has been active in the theater since his college days, both as a director and as an actor. His acting credits include three previous Sandhills Little Theatre shows, and he directed this season’s youth production of “Romeo and Juliet.” Other directing credits include work for the Duke Theatre Labs, the Brown/Green Theatre Company and the Wendell Theatre Company.
“He makes a perfect Jack,” says Epperson. “His command of the English dialect comes naturally, and he has inspired the other cast members to try and duplicate the correct pronunciations. Jack has been a real help and a wonderful resource in always coming up with the proper way of saying a word or a phrase.”
Also in the cast are Nicole Brannon as Gwendolyn, and Amy Damone as Cecily. Veteran SLT performer Marvin Hanson plays the Rev. Canon Chasuble while Marcia Slovik has the role of the governess, Miss Prism. Brian Wallis is Merriman, the butler, and Lane, the manservant, is played by Nathaniel Dozier.
Like so many other aspects of life in the Sandhills in the weeks preceding the 2005 U. S. Open Championship, staging of “The Importance of Being Earnest” has been affected by the preparations for the Open. Owens Auditorium has been used for training sessions from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the rehearsal days immediately before the performances, so the set for the play had to be designed to be knocked down and stored during the time training was scheduled.
The backdrops for the entire set are made of three-quarters of a mile of 36-inch wide cheesecloth. Dyed in four different colors, they replicate the different scenes of the play and are piled in a large box when not in use. There are also five arches that can be stored flat. The furniture for the settings of the scenes can be pushed behind the center curtain. Since the whole show takes place on the apron of the stage, the scenery is kept right behind the proscenium.
The resulting assembly of the set falls to the backstage crew. The running crew is composed of Liney Gallagher, Samantha Davis, Joy Karcher, Alisa Arpin and Cassie Cangemi. The building crew was made up of Gabriel Roy, Angela Furr and Angie Ozdemir. The technical director is Ted Thomas, and the stage manager is Jessie Tyner, assisted by Brittney Davis and Aaron Ray. Props were collected by Sandra Tracey, Alisa Arpin and Laura Crockett, and Karen Steelman was in charge of makeup.
Performances of “The Importance of Being Earnest” are Friday and Saturday evenings, June 3 and 4, and June 10 and 11 , at 8 p.m., with one Sunday matinee at 2:30 on June 5. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $8 for students for the evening performances and $12 for adults and $6 for students for the matinee. They can be obtained by calling 690-9069, or 944-7853, and are also available at the door.
