author: Wes Dennis
Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is often referred to as the funniest play in the English language. While I may not entirely agree with that assessment — comedy can be quite subjective and often derives from specific cultural contexts, such that objective qualifiers like “funniest” should be regarded with a certain skepticism — many people are saying that the play remains decidedly amusing and culturally relevant even 130 years after its publication date. If you’ve never seen a production of Earnest before, stop reading now and reserve a ticket for the final weekend — in a time of inflation and much uncertainty, UpStage Artists’ admirable commitment to affordable theatre means that you get a solid live theatre experience for less than the cost of most movie tickets. This latest production of Wilde’s classic, directed by Anna Fitzmaurice, is a solid rendition that effectively captures much of what has made this play so appealing to folks over the last century and change while introducing at least one unexpected twist.
As with most UpStage shows, the limitations of the venue persist. A meeting room in a church sublevel doesn’t allow for particularly elaborate set work, though Fitzmaurice’s set design — with sturdy set construction execution from most of the UpStage Board of Directors — meaningfully differentiates between the various environments and communicates the setting of each scene. The interior scenes, with painted wall flats and furniture, are obviously set indoors; the garden — indicated via a photo backdrop, outdoor bench, and an archway with various faux flowers on one side of the stage — clearly evokes an outdoor garden. Moreover, as this is a modern-day interpretation, the sets contain details meant to give subtle clues about these incarnations of the characters: Algernon is textually a music enthusiast, and here his flat contains various posters from 1960s-1980s English rock bands. The titles in a bookcase in Jack’s country house, including a hardcover copy of Frank Herbert’s Dune, indicate his (and/or Cecily’s) interest in pop culture and entertaining distractions. One may wish more attention was called to these details (or that they were better supported by the tech; the lighting glare makes Algy’s posters nigh impossible to make out once the show begins), but they’re nevertheless nice touches that support this particular staging.
The costumes — credited to Fitzmaurice, Joanne Breen, and the cast — similarly support the modern context, though here there’s perhaps more disconnect with the text. For example, with his initial costume consisting of a gold robe, wife beater, and various gold rings (including a pinky ring), Algy gives off a sleazy 1970s Lothario vibe, whereas Jack — despite his often untucked shirt (he does actively tuck it in upon the arrival of Gwendolen and Lady Bracknell, which is an excellent, deliberate character action) and the textual criticism of his fashion sense — is in all scenes undeniably better dressed than Algy. (Jack’s taste in neckties is also far superior.) The buttonhole exchange rings confusing: because Algy’s padded vest has no place for the decoration, he ends up awkwardly shoving it into his shirt pocket and frequently covering it entirely with the vest. But the women’s costumes fare better — Gwendolen’s sleeveless sweater, jeans, and boots are indeed quite smart; Cecily’s curly red hair, colorful dress, and glittery, blush-heavy makeup give her a seemingly intentional Chappell Roan vibe; and Lady Bracknell’s professional pantsuits are entirely appropriate for the character. The tuxedo worn by Merriman/Lane (here played by the same actor) gives the impression of a butler who buttles. Here Breen also deserves a nod for props, as such items as Algy’s Labubu and Trader Joe’s bag combine with the sets and costumes to firmly root us in the more/less present day. I am less sure what to make of Rick Bergmann’s sound design, with musical framing from various modern classic songs (some of which are bands featured in Algy’s flat) and underscoring bardcore interpretations during the play’s action, but I can’t fault them too much — other audience members and I did chuckle at some of the choices, which is always a desired outcome when one is performing a comedy. And the pots and pans foley during one later scene — excellent.
Still, as with any live theatre experience, the bread and butter (or the cucumber sandwiches, as it were) of a show is the actor performances, and here — in contrast to the flashes of originality with the modern setting — the actors put on a rather traditional Earnest rendition. The British accents from the principals are clear and convincing and don’t detract from the action; the blocking and bits of physical comedy are mostly textual and in the vein of other Earnest productions I’ve seen. Trenor Gould’s Algy may not have lived up to the “has nothing but looks everything” descriptor in terms of costuming, but he’s appropriately witty and annoying in turns as the character is written. Dylan Hernandez’s Jack is especially bombastic — a standout performance that at times feels almost too big for the UpStage venue, but one that has me eager to see more of Hernandez’s work.
Becky Goldberg’s Gwendolen is charming and reminded me of the “core” nature of the character: Gwendolen has pretty close interactions/relationships with multiple other characters in the show (Algy and Bracknell are family; Jack is her lover; Cecily grow rather close over the latter half of the play, technically passing the Bechdel test fully 100 yeas before its inception), and Goldberg manages excellent chemistry with all of her scene partners. And as little Cecily, Beatrice Ieronimo is a delight, with perhaps the most “modern” performance in the play. That’s perhaps a function of the text — while bickering over muffins and cucumber sandwiches can feel at least outwardly antiquated (I now find myself wanting to see a production where the “muffins” are replaced by chicken nuggets), youngsters shirking their studies are timeless — but even in her reactions Ieronimo feels especially true to vibe established by the set and costumes (and Fitzmaurice’s director’s note).
The other actors, albeit less present in the action of the play, are nevertheless vital to the plot and likewise do justice to their roles. Jenna Louise’s Lady Bracknell is among the more subdued interpretations of the character that I’ve seen, giving off a more competent CEO/politician vibe than a no-nonsense, larger-than-life pillar of high society, but her approach works well for this particular Earnest adaptation. Peter Schulz, doubling as Lane and Merriman, does great work distinguishing between the two butlers, playing Lane more/less traditionally but imbuing Merriman with a nervous, squeaky voice that makes for a fascinating contrast and invites questions about how precisely he manages his daily work (this is a man who would shriek at the sight of a dust bunny).
And as Dr. Chasuble, Peter Rouleau does an interesting turn, portraying the good reverend as so single-mindedly focused on his work and duties that he is oblivious to Prism’s flirtations and even his own apparent interest. It works, and it’s funny, especially given Nancy Somers’s portrayal of Miss Prism…
…and hoo-boy, let’s talk about that. I mentioned far above that, if one hasn’t seen Earnest, one should make plans to see this UpStage show pronto. I mean that sincerely: set and costumes aside, it really is an effective, largely traditional staging, and the $15 price of admission is hard to beat. Especially if you’re unfamiliar with the show, this is worth seeing. But for folks who’ve seen Earnest multiple times and are more familiar with the material (for my part, I assistant directed a performance of Earnest back in 2024 and have seen a number of other productions), this staging might understandably hold less appeal — if not for Somers’s Prism. Simply put, this Prism is over-the-top horny AF and I am so here for it. It’s a show-stealing performance, one that not only elevates this production to must-see status for enthusiasts but also reinterprets the character so radically and brilliantly and yet so well-grounded in the text that wonders why Prism isn’t always done this way. Sexy-thirsty Prism is more than a performance: it’s an experience. Somers — and Fitzmaurice’s direction — deserve immense praise for this approach. It really is a fantastic, inspired take on the character, and it really is that good.
Overall, this UpStage Artists production of Earnest demonstrates that, in at least certain instances, Algy’s pronouncement that “in matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing” should be pointedly ignored: this is a super solid, respectable show, absolutely worth seeing in its own right for newcomers as a budget community theatre affair. While one might wish that the director’s conceit were explored in more depth (apparently the characterization here was supposed to mimic social media archetypes, but that’s lost when everyone’s speaking with British accents and eating cucumber sandwiches and drinking from teacups and never once pulling out cell phones or taking selfies to really sell the bit), the show is otherwise a safe, largely faithful, and pretty darned good performance of an old classic. This Prism, however, really does take the show to another level. So not only do I enthusiastically recommend the production — I now very much look forward to seeing what Fitzmaurice and UpStage do when they get even bolder in their reinterpretations of classics. There’s real potential here. Well done.
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission
The Importance of Being Earnest plays through March 15th 2026 Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30pm; Sundays at 2:00pm with Upstage Artists at Emanuel United Methodist Church— 11416 Cedar Lane in Beltsville, MD. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance online.
