Theater
Though these young men each claim to be Earnest, only one of them
can be. And right now, both are lying. Striking a bargain with Lady
Bracknell (Jacqui McClure) are Algernon (Michael Cadigan) and Jack
(Bill Geisslinger). The dapper duo seeks her consent for their respec
tive engagements, in ORT’s production of Oscar Wilde’s “The Impor
tance of Being Earnest."
The Importance of Being Ear
nest
By Oscar Wilde
Directed by Andrew Traister
Oregon Repertory Theatre
Jan. 25 through Feb. 4
You never speak anything but
nonsense, Algy.
... No one ever does.
What's in a name? By the stan
dards of characters in Oscar
Wildes satire The Importance of
„ Being Earnest, almost everything
depends on two men's claims to
possessing that name.
But neither of them actually is.
named Earnest. At least, not
knowingly, and their efforts to
convince certain ladies of their al
leged identities provides the
framework for Wilde’s comment
on 18th century polite society.
The opening of Earnest. ORT’s
first attempt to stage a period play,
was a rewarding performance of
what literature texts tag "high
comedy.” But it’s not necessary to
be a literature buff or a Wilde
aficionado to enjoy this heady,
mocking production.
The plot revolves around two
young couples, very Victorian in
dress and very racy under their
breath. Algernon’s invented in
valid friend (Bundburg)and Jack’s
bogus brother (Earnest) are ex
cuses used to get away from
home frequently. The women
(Gwendolyn and Cecily) each fall
in love with Jack and Algy when
they meet them under the name
Earnest, But only because they
are named Earnest.
Trivial? That’s what Wilde had
in mind. But Cecily (Carolanne
Young) is the marvelous frosting
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that allows the fantastically con
ceived torte of trivia built upon
multiple deceits, to remain upright
and by play’s end, almost believa
ble.
“I have never met a really
WICKED person before,” Cecily
squeals delightedly on encounter
ing Algernon (Michael Cadigan),
who has turned up on a "bund
bury” at her Uncle Jack’s, posing
as his brother Earnest.
Cecily is precious. Spoiled
beyond words, she personifies
the hopelessly romantic
18-year-old. “We’ve been en
gaged since Feb. 14,” she tells a
surprised Algernon, "even
though we’d never met. It’s right
here in my diary.”
Jack (Bill Geisslinger) is stric
ken with love for Gwendolyn. Be
decked with strands of black
mourning bands waving gaily from
his fur top hat, he prepares the lie
that Earnest is dead — only to
have a glowing Cecily happily
present a leering Algernon.
Cadigan should play the Ches
hire cat next. He does have a fien
dishly polite grin.
The most powerfully executed
lines are belted forth from the red
taffeta swathed depths of Lady
Brackneil, Gwendolyn’s mother
and Algernon’s aunt. She frosts
youthful impetuousness with a
gutsy roar and carries Wilde s un
derlying message to the surface:
“We live, I regret to say, in an age
of surfaces..
ORT maximizes its intimate
stage for this production. As in all
great mysteries, the butlers de
serve much credit for getting the
job (of set changes) done with
style and humor. As Lane, Phil
Dietz maintains a freshly
starched, military-perfect posture,
looking almost as though he’d
been fed through an old
fashioned wringer washing
machine and then drip-dried into
position.
See Earnest, if you can get
seats. As ORT grows, it becomes
more and more necessary to re
serve tickets several days in ad
vance.
ORT presents it’s first Midnight
Mafia Friday night following
Earnest. Sam Shepard’s The Un
seen Hand opens the series of
avante garde experimental pro
ductions. Where a pristine Vic
torian setting, so painstakingly
constructed and cared for by but
lers stands for Earnest, a 1954
Rambler will materialize for what
producing director David Lunney
terms “a combination Wild Bunch,
American Graffiti and Star Wars.
By Melody Ward
1
Books
Just Another Lousy Day In
Paradise
By Gene Dannen
© 1978 Oz Publications, Inc.
and Renegade Press
$2.95 paperback
Often what distinguishes a
good book from a bad book is an
arbitrary decision by a publisher.
From there it’s either a rejection slip
and ignominy or a published book,
national distribution and reviews.
What about those books the big
publishers flunked? A small
magazine publisher, Oz Publica
tions, has picked up the tab fa
one such book, Just Another
Lousy Day in Paradise, a novel by
Gene Dannen that didn’t make it in
the big time.
The book bills itself as "Buffalo,
Hollywood, Indians, history,
money, cars, television, football,
war, sex, inflation, progress, the
powers of darkness and a man
known only as Dick...”
It’s another date novel, this time
it’s 1985. Football has been re
placed by video replays. Some
one decided it would be more
wit?* »tf*n9*y mnwtm» Wmtoq* oy 0****an$
Just Another
Lousy Day In
Paradise
A NOVEL BY GENf OANNEN
economical to run replays of old
football plays rather than pay
players to keep doing them over
again.
The main character, Ken Stone,
gets paid for the only human job
left in football — the halftime inter
view: “Pain is a part of profes
(Continued on Page 7B)
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