The importance of being serious

No one can deny the prevalence of dishonesty in today's society, but deceit and scandal are hardly new affairs. Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is a prime example of a past crusade against the evils of fraudulence.

Arena Stage's production of Earnest, while appropriate to the era, is largely impotent. Wilde's genius story, of two men infatuated with two women who cannot love any man who is not named Ernest, is subject to grave misinterpretation on the part of the director, Everett Quinton. The plot, in which the two couples adamantly try to get married, involves verbal puns, illogical social customs and a few highly improbable coincidences.

The key problem with the production is that it is taken completely over the top. Wilde's characters are turned into caricatures, which turn the brilliant satire into a slapstick comedy. The characters act so goofy that they appear to mock their own convictions, making their immoral ideals and conduct seem outright laughable when in fact they are only mildly exaggerated. For example, the women who are intent on loving a man named Ernest, despite the fact that a name is hardly representative of a person, are metaphorical of widespread superficiality. But these women act so extremely nonsensical that they are dismissed as blithering fools. This weakens the moral effect of the work and transforms Wilde's stinging social commentary into an absurd farce. Quinton must have been afraid that people wouldn't find the play funny, and as a result, tried to drown its wit with sight gags and overly capricious characters.

The costumes (Zack Brown) contribute to the comical enhancement. Untraditionally bright garb makes the already flimsy characters seem even more like clowns. While vibrancy would otherwise be more than welcome because theatre classics are really all too often drab, here, it detracts from the work's serious matter. A more technical problem is that the large hats worn by the women on stage have the obnoxious habit of blocking the view of other actors' faces, an obstacle presented by the arena format of the Fichandler stage.

Despite these flaws, the acting is fabulous. Ian Kahn, who plays Algernon Moncrieff, is perfectly uncouth and childish. Although these qualities seriously detract from the plot, his performance is superb. Michael Skinner (John Worthing, J.P.) is equally excellent, and his character is less contorted. The best performance, however, is given by Hugh Nees (Lane and Merriman, two butlers). Nees adapts himself marvelously into two completely different but equally charming characters, a feat that is truly praiseworthy.

There is racial variation in the cast, but more remarkably, there is a woman playing a man. MaryBeth Wise takes on the role of Reverend Cannon Chausuble, D.D. Her performance is adequate for a relatively minor character.

All of the cast members are quite devoted to their roles. Furthermore, they are notably fluent in their accents, guided by speech and vocal consultant Lynn Watson.

If it weren't for the misinterpretation, Arena's production of The Importance of Being Earnest would be both superlative and scathing. However, a lack of trust in Wilde's subtle verbal humor led to this production's downfall.

The Importance of Being Earnest will be at Arena Stage until Dec. 23. It is 2 hours and 45 minutes, including two 10-minute intermissions. Ticket prices and performance times vary; check the Arena Stage website for more information.