Audience members at the Majestic Theater who are unfamiliar with Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” will have to wait until the end of the play to learn the true identity of Jack, who was accidentally left at a train station as an infant.
The Victorian masterpiece about marriage, morality and mistaken identity opens Jan. 4 and runs through Feb. 11 at the West Springfield venue.
“I have been wanting to do a classical British comedy and you can’t get more classical than Oscar Wilde other than Agatha Christie. This is his most famous play, for sure, then again, he doesn’t have that many plays to his name,” said Danny Eaton, founding producer of the Majestic Theater, about selecting “The Importance of Being Earnest” for the 2023-2024 season.
Described as a “trivial comedy for serious people,” the story follows two gentlemen, Jack and Algernon, each with a hidden double life that comically leads to confusion and hijinks. When Algernon discovers that Jack has been posing as a man named Ernest to escape from his “excessively boring” life in the country, Algernon promptly travels from his London flat to Jack’s country estate to pose as the fictional character himself. Confusion and hilarity reign as each man meets and falls in love with a proper young lady and along the way must confront the formidable Lady Bracknell all in the name of romance and revelry.
Rand Foerster is directing the play.
“I have been aware of this celebrated piece of literature for most of my adult life and when Danny (Eaton) asked me to direct, I was ready for the challenge. Directing the play requires a very talented cast, which we have, who can handle the language in terms of the correct inflections and a sense of comic timing,” Foerster said
Cast members include Rylan Morsbach as Jack, Alexandra O’Halloran as Gwendolen, Lisa Abend as Lady Bracknell, Peter Evangelista as Algernon, Caelie Scott Flanagan as Cecily, Peter Hicks as Dr. Chasuble, Krista Lucas as Miss Prism, and Tom Dahl as the servant.
Tickets range from $31 to $37 and are available on the theater’s website or at the box office, which is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The wearing of face masks in the theater is optional.
Doors to the theater will open one hour before the start of a show, which is also when the café opens.
