I must admit, theater never really blew my hair back. As much as I love art, literature and music, theater just doesn’t seem to connect, though I have tried.
For whatever reason, recent generations have increasingly passed theater by, and though there are always exceptions to this, it cannot be denied that theater audiences are not as young as they were in times gone by.
Though our elders and betters often tell us we are missing the subtle enjoyments in plays and musicals, I would suggest that it is not that young people miss them, just that they are relayed in a language that is not fully understood, in the same way that older generations fail to hear the inspiring messages in the work of street artist Banksy or rapper Aesop Rock.
But in the same way that the passion and drama of Shakespeare has translated well into the treacherous times of now, so too does Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” dissects a society that, at its core, is not far removed from our own.
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, some two weeks into its run, Village Theatre was packed, the mostly older audience obviously feeling that the words of the wild Irishman, Oscar Wilde, still resonate with them.
This guy was the original loose cannon, a flamboyant man not hamstrung by fear or loyalties, with a brilliant mind that revealed many of the hypocrisies of his society.
For those thinking about seeing “Earnest” but worried that the gems of insight will be buried underneath ancient language, never fear, for the bold playwright was never one to mince words.
“The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either,” he offers early in the piece.
The play centers around the shenanigans of Algernon and Jack, two well-off Londoners who have developed alter egos (“Bunbury” and “Earnest”) which they use to indulge their less scrupulous selves. Whereas Jack finds the deception distasteful, the mischievous Algernon revels in it, and their differing philosophies on the subject are the manifestation of the playwright’s own insight into the hypocrisy of high society.
As a celebrity and a gay ma, Wilde was at once both lauded and lambasted, and it is easy to see why he viewed with distaste the duality of society.
Despite being heralded as the greatest playwright of his generation, he was sent to prison to serve two years hard labor for his gay relationships.
Though Wilde’s famous witticisms are what the play is known for, Village Theatre’s production distinguishes itself elsewhere also. As the curtain lifted on Act One, I was immediately dazzled by the luxuriousness of the set — rich gold, the chandelier, gilded edges, and luminous creams; the spectacular costumes and opulent props defied my expectations of sparse local theater stages.
If the set is not enough to convince you, the polished performances will — though to the people of Issaquah the Village Theatre is their local theater, that term does not do justice to the professional calibre of the productions.
This is a major theater displaying the talents of heralded, sought after professionals — it just happens to be down the road.
The actors boast extensive theater, television and film credits, including “local girl made big,” Jen Taylor, as Gwendolen, who returns to her home stage.
