The upcoming fall production, “The Importance of being Earnest” puts a creative spin on the original classic by Oscar Wilde, which comically depicts the struggle of single youths to escape unwanted social obligations, by taking on a second identity. While the main protagonist Jack, played by Freddie Bredemeyer, claims that he’s Earnest, his mythical brother, he falls in love with Gwendolen, played by Hannah Ellowitz. Jack’s friend Algernon, played by Wesley Mahon, takes on the same second identity and finds himself in the same predicament with Jack’s adoptive sister Cecily, played by Sydnie Rathe.
Although the play was originally set in Victorian London around 1895, this interpretation takes the audience to the 1960s. The change in locale is a fun take on the classical concept and the actors have adapted their characters to fit the new time period. While staying true to the basis for the play, the character interaction adds to the adapted motif, making the show more playful through pillow fights, go-go dancing and rock music.
“This change allows our characters to develop even further, freeing us from the more constricted and conservative time era. I think audiences will enjoy the comedy and more modern references that we’ve written into the piece, as we’ve all been working hard to move the play over to this new time period,” said senior Hannah Ellowitz.
With outstanding originality, this upbeat adaptation aims to capture the interest of the audience while telling the classic story. Working hard to make up for approximately forty hours of lost time due to Hurricane Irma, the cast collaborated out of school to get their stage directions from the stage manager.
While originally scheduled to open the week of Oct. 6, it has been pushed back in order to make up for lost rehearsal time. The production is now scheduled for Oct. 18-21 in the Black Box Theater with showtimes at 7:00 p.m.
