It’s the story of two friends in Victorian England who evade society’s responsibilities, one by inventing an imaginary younger brother named Ernest and the other by conjuring up a sickly friend he must go visit whenever he wants to dodge an invitation.
It’s The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde about to go on stage at Alley Theatre. First produced in 1895, it’s a love story, a farce and a satire of Victorian high society. It premiered to great acclaim but its run was cut short by Wilde’s conviction and imprisonment for homosexual acts.
Alley Resident Acting Company member Dylan Godwin stars as Algernon Moncrieff along with fellow company member Christopher Salazar as John “Jack” Worthing. Algernon ends up pursuing Cecily Cardew, (Melissa Molano) and Jack sets his sights on Gwendolen Fairfax (Amelia Pedlow.)
Not only is this a classic comedy that Godwin has wanted to do for a long time, but it is one that he’s wanted to do with Salazar in particular. “We have been wanting to do this play together since we met seven years ago. Jack and Algie are great foils to each other.”
“When you can find a play that has two male roles in it that really play off each other and really get to share time together on stage, jump on it.
“I’ve never done the full production before,” Godwin says. “I’m Algernon Moncrieff. He is one of the great characters. He’s like a dangerous and perfect mix of ego and innocence. He lives in the upper ton of British society and because of that everything that comes out of his mouth to him is the truth. Everything that he says and believes goes undisputed. He is allowed to move throw life that in a modern context would be sort of horrifying but is a lot of fun to watch.”
A lot of people think Algernon is most similar to Wilde himself, Godwin says. “The way he speaks, the way he puts out these ideas and axioms, you can really hear Oscar’s voice in the dialog.
Asked why the play has remained so popular so long, Godwin says: “It’s a hoot. Wilde’s language is unparalleled. Every line is a joke. That’s the calibration point in the play, you have to figure out which ones are going to land and which ones are going to roll into the next big laugh so that they can get it. The language is so rich. It is so clearly his voice.”
Wilden was gay and living that life at a time that wasn’t tolerated. “But his insane razor wit gave him agency in a society that he wouldn’t have had it otherwise,” Godwin says.
Other cast members include Resident Acting Company members Elizabeth Bunch as Miss Prism and Chris Hutchison as Merriman. Candy Buckley plays Lady Bracknell and Spencer Plachy plays Lane/ Canon Chasuble. Alley Artistic Director Rob Melrose directs.
The women in the play are “equally hilarious,” Godwin says.
“Elizabeth Bunch plays Miss Prism. You won’t even recognize her. She is hilarious. She’s such a great actress, you forget often because she plays bigger roles sometimes what a fantastic character actress she is.”
“Our company of actors we are so fortunate that we get to work together all the time. We are constantly learning from each other. This career path can sometimes feel very isolating. It’s a rare thing that you get to work with a group of actors that you really trust enough.
“[The Importance of Being Earnest] has all these trappings of amazing language, incredible comedy, incredible pace, but what it really is, in my opinion, is he was really skewering these upper classes and just the absurdity and the ridiculousness of their existence right to their faces,” Godwin says. “And doing it with such aplomb and humor that they were able to laugh at it without realizing that it was sort of their heads on the chopping block.
“It’s a really good time. People are going to come and they’re going to laugh and they’re going to be able to escape into a really sumptuous world. The designs are out of this world. I don’t think any production of Earnest has ever looked like this before.”
Performances are scheduled for March 6 through Sunday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 7 p.m. Sundays at Alley Theatre, 615 Texas. For more information, call 713-220-5700 or visit alleytheatre.org $36-$124.