This weekend Hampden-Sydney’s theatre department will be showing Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. The main cast members are Kevin Jones ’10 as Algernon Moncrieff and Buck Paul ’10 as John Worthing. Supporting cast include students Justin Smith ’11 and Jay Artis ’11; alumnus Sam Gibbs ’09; and other members of the Hampden-Sydney and Longwood communities. The Tiger interviewed Andrew MacIntire ’11 about the upcoming production. 

Tiger: What is The Importance of Being Earnest?

MacIntire: Well, the play itself is one of my personal favorite plays: it is a perfect comedy.  It’s very much meant to be crisp, airy, and fun – not devoid of ‘serious’ themes, but not weighted and sunk by them. Our production emphasizes the duality of the protagonists’ lives and the social net in which they operate – and are ultimately entangled. Jack (Paul) and Algernon (Jones) flow about in their ‘Bunburying,’ but still find themselves under the rigid thumb of Lady Bracknell (Jennifer Vitale).  Yet Bracknell herself is foiled in the conclusion through ‘distasteful’ coincidence she yearns to avoid.

Tiger: What is your favorite part of Earnest?

MacIntire: Just personally, my favorite part of our production is a duo of performances: Shaunna Hunter and Sam Gibbs have taken my two least-favorite characters in the script (Miss Prism and Lane, respectively) and transformed them into my very favorite characters in the play.  All the other folks have obviously-humorous dialogue, but Sam and Shaunna bring a life and energy to their more-minor characters’ actions that I’ve found utterly delightful.  Shaunna’s scenes in particular have become the funniest in the play.

Tiger: What makes our production special?

MacIntire: We’re bringing some new things to the table with Earnest.  While many productions play up the absurdity of the events in the script, Matt [Dubroff]’s vision focuses more on the very real nature of the characters involved. I’d expect anyone might see a little bit of themselves or someone they know during the play – and perhaps learn something about “The vital importance of being earnest.”

Fine Arts professor and this semester’s theatre director, Matt Dubroff, states in his director’s note that “The timelessness of this play is for others to ponder, but to be sure, many aspects of it are just as relevant as they were the day Wilde set pen to paper.” With the use of the character’s language, Wilde “reveals people clinging to fixed notions of the world about them on subjects ranging from love to muffins…The social hypocrisy presented is funny and was likely meant to entertain.”

Joining Dubroff behind the scenes are Josh Jarrett ’09 and Andrew MacIntire ’11 as assistant directors; Brad Stroller as set designer/technical director; Patrick Crandol ’11 as light designer; David Heatwole ‘10 as Assistant light designer; Ben Brown ’10 as costume and property manager; Eduardo Soto ’11 as stage manager. This semester’s production also includes original music composition and performance by fine arts professor Dr. David Salvage.

All of the Hampden-Sydney and Farmville communities are invited to come and enjoy this exciting 19th century work of art whose story still extends well into our 21st century. The show times are February 19, 20, 26, and 27 at 8:00 pm.

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