UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 13, Page 4
December 5, 1991
Theatre review; Acting shines in PTTP 'Earnest' performance

     It has been called the funniest play in the English language.
It is light-hearted, accessible to nearly all ages and crackling
with Oscar Wilde's most famous epigrams. The epigrams are perhaps
both its beauty and its burden as they must be delivered sleekly
within the context of the characters and the conversation but can
jump out in bold-faced italics if the actors are not careful.
     The Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) actors excel
in concentration and sincerity, however, as the character Gwendolyn
notes: "in matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is
the vital thing." (I wonder if there are any reviews of Wilde which
do not resort to quoting the epigrams.)
     Some actors fare better than others with the brittle elegance
of English style. Gwendolyn and Cecily are standouts in the hands
of Carole Healey and Kelley Dunn.  Healey was stunning as the
strident Polish female pilot in Misalliance and now is regal and
crisp with effective, husky-voiced touches as Gwendolyn. Kelley
Dunn had, I thought, not rung entirely true in some earlier roles,
but now chimes forth delightfully as the pert, fast-thinking,
18-year-old Cecily, and seemed to have thought entirely through the
meaning of her lines so that her delivery had all the edges
necessary.
     One delight in London theatre is seeing drawing room comedy
with excellent actors in minor roles. PTTP keeps up that tradition
with the butlers in Earnest. Lane, who serves Algernon cucumber
sandwiches in the opening scene, is played by Doug Miller (who was
also the stage manager in Our Town and the devil figure in Peer
Gynt) with military bearing and marvelously understated awareness
of his employer's foibles.
     In their brief moments together, Lane and Algernon emerge as
the antecedents for Jeeves and Bertie Wooster in the later P.G.
Wodehouse stories. Cecily's butler is played by the former King
Lear, Drew Brhel, whose every action is riveting, even during
Gwendolyn and Cecily's tea cake "duel."
     Kathleen Pirkl, recently touching and powerful as the steel
magnolia mother in The Glass Menagerie, plays the "Gorgon" figure
of Lady Bracknell. She retains her power and chews her many
epigrams with relish and effect. Her encrusted period costumes are
especially elegant.
     The male "duets" of witty dialogue are delivered by Dennis
Ryan and J. Paul Boehmer, as Jack and Algernon, who both wish to be
re-christened "Ernest." On opening night, they were truly clicking
by the second and third acts and will probably pounce on the first
act as the run of the show progresses. They are both visually
excellent for their roles but aren't entirely at home in their
costumes yet.
     Cynthia Hood and Danny Campbell are endearing as the remaining
duet of Miss Prism and Rev. Chasuble. Ms. Hood is at ease with
Wilde's lines and uses articulate postures.
     The chameleon black box space of Hartshorn Gym has been
re-formatted into a three-quarter stage for this production, giving
the actors and director another challenge as Earnest lends itself
more crisply to straight-out proscenium delivery of lines and
calculated profiles. The opening drawing room setting is modest
when compared to the elaborate interior of Misalliance, but
suitable. The Japanese-screen-like backdrop is interesting. The
second and third act, marble and garden setting "in the country" is
a bit more effective and attractive, and the actors seem more
comfortable there.
     It is a marvelous play, and it is done very well. I understand
it is largely sold out, which is a great shame for all the audience
members who will not be able to see it. Everyone should see it
several times and learn a number of the lines. The play will have
its 100th birthday in three years but remains fresh, witty and
delightful.
- Joyce Hill Stoner
Chairperson,
Department of Art Conservation

The Importance of Being Earnest runs through Dec. 15. For ticket
information, call 451-2204.