Lady
Lancing or, The Importance of Being Earnest
By Oscar Wilde
Directed by Douglas Leal & Derek Charles Livingston
The Ark Theatre Company at The Attic
continues to break ground with a serious comedy for trivial people
Now Closed.
The Ark Theatre Company commemorates its move to the Attic Theater with a fresh production of Lady Lancing, or the Importance of Being Earnest. For the first time in Los Angeles, a production of Oscar Wilde’s original script is being mounted for loyal fans of the libertine and new devotees alike.
Of the 1895 premiere, Wilde reportedly quipped, “From time to time I was reminded of a play I once wrote myself, called The Importance of Being Earnest.” Subsequent three and four act versions of the play rely variously on that first three-act production and on Wilde’s notes. It was not until 1980 that an original typewritten copy of Wilde’s intended production script was discovered, and it was not until today that Los Angeles audiences could treat themselves to Wilde’s proposed version of his “trivial comedy for serious people.”
Theatre lovers are already familiar with the twisting and turning plot of Wilde’s farce and his delightful skewering of Victorian society. In this production, audiences have the opportunity to be impressed all over again, or perhaps for the first time, by Wilde’s brilliant, sparkling text. Everything about the production, led by co-directors Douglas Leal and Derek Livingston, is dedicated to bringing the focus back to the words. Minimal stage design, basic costumes, and mimed props allow Wilde’s legendary wit and style to take center stage.
The cast for “The Importance of Being Earnest’” includes Osa Danam, Tyne Gaudielle, Brendon Hawley, Kenn Johnson, Douglas Leal, Helene McCardle, Devon Myers, Quincy Miller, Anna Quirino-Miranda, and Caroline Sharp