Review
Ernest in LoveIrish Repertory Theatre
January 28, 2010
Morgan Wycks
mwycks@nyconstage.org
It's almost redundant to make a musical out of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Ernest, but the score of just such a musical entitled Ernest in Love by Anne Croswell (book and lyrics) and Lee Pockriss (music) is charming enough with a nod to Gilbert and Sullivan and with enough of the original play intact that the experience is an enjoyable one. Originally produced off-Broadway in 1959, this 9-character whimsy has made the rounds of summer stock and regional theatres for decades.
The Irish Repertory Company brings the work back to off-Broadway in a relatively straight-forward production, side-stepping some camp if not some caricatured performances. Under Charlotte Moore's direction, there is sometimes too much of Barry McNabb's choreography for the small playing area and often the 4-piece ensemble overwhelms the singers, which tells you something about the strength of the actors' singing voices. Nonetheless the laughs in the brilliant text still shine through augmented nicely by some of Ms. Croswell's clever lyrics. Of the performers, Annika Boras as Gwendolyn comes off best striking the right balance between Wildean satire and musical comedy. Karie Fabel as Cecily occasionally goes flat and unfortunately is attired by Linda Fisher to resemble a tavern wench, but she too knows how to land the laughs in the dialogue and seamlessly meld them into song. Beth Fowler in possibly Wilde's most famous character, Lady Bracknell, takes a simple route that manages to work well enough even if the choice is entirely too safe. The others range from amateurish to just above adequate under Ms. Moore's swift, if unexciting staging. James Morgan's set is a lesson in sustainability which is sadly glaringly lighted by Brian Nason.
It's easy to understand why someone would think to add songs to Wilde's nigh on to perfect piece, but the mistake is not to realize that the music is already in the language, and that Lady Bracknell would never permit herself to sing in public - unless of course it was something by Wagner.
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