January 8, 2003

"The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde: Here at 70 Proof, we don't make a habit of reviewing plays. We prefer to focus our attention upon novels, short stories, and dirty limericks. After all, at some point a play is only as good as its performance. We're interested with the written word, not the spoken. Yet, in the case of Oscar Wilde, exceptions must be made. Rules would be no fun at all without exceptions.

It seems as though Jack Worthing is living somewhat of a double-life. To those in the peaceful countryside he calls home, he's Jack Worthing, respectable fellow and dignified guardian to young Miss Cecily Cardew, the granddaughter of one Mr. Thomas Cardew, who was kind enough to raise Jack as his own after finding him abandoned as a baby in a handbag at Victoria Station. Yet what 29-year-old man of any sense wants to live a respectable, dignified life? In order to slip into the city for some fun, Jack invents a younger brother named Ernest who is nothing but a burden to his virtuous older brother. It seems the good Jack is always running off to the city to rescue Ernest from one scrape or another. What a guy.

The deception is going splendidly until Jack makes the one mistake that proves fatal to any young man of leisure: he falls in love. More specifically, he falls in love with Miss Gwendolen Fairfax, the fair cousin of his best friend, Algernon Moncrieff. You see, even Algy isn't aware of Jack's dual life. Algy, and everyone else Jack meets in the city, knows him as Ernest Worthing. Only a forgotten cigarette case inscribed to him by Cecily, and discovered by Algy, gives away the jest.

Algy delights in his friend's admitted "Bunburying." For Algy himself had long ago invented a Mr. Bunbury, an old, dear friend that lives in the country and often requires Algy's presence by his sickbed. Yes, it seems Mr. Bunbury is quite the invalid. Algy's devotion and loyalty are admired by all. He's oh so kind.

With love in his heart, Jack vows that his "Bunburying" days are behind him. He intends to ask Gwendolen for her hand in marriage and kill his imaginary brother once and for all. One catch. Gwendolen believes she is in love with Ernest Worthing. It was always a dream of hers to be married to a man named Ernest. She feels nothing inspires confidence like the name of Ernest. And it is in thinking Jack is Ernest that she accepts his proposal.

Things become even more complicated when Algy, under the guise of being Jack's younger brother Ernest, ventures unannounced to the countryside to pay a visit to Cecily. He instantly falls in love. He's also somewhat taken aback to find that Cecily has been in love with Jack's imaginary brother for years. They become engaged on the spot. Cecily then confesses that it had always been a girlish dream of hers to marry a man named Ernest, since the name inspires such absolute confidence.

Algy and Jack are snared in the same trap. In order to keep the women they love, they must tell the truth. Has there ever been a more vile alternative? What does truth have to do with love?

"The Importance of Being Earnest" is comedic farce at its best. The humor flows effortlessly from the situations and characters, nothing is ever forced or contrived. Mr. Wilde's keen intellect and sharp wit are found in each and every line. Don't drop a word in fear of cutting your foot. Algy is a particularly wonderful creation. His initial views of love and life, along with his defense of Bunburying, are marvelous. As is Gwendolen's mother, Lady Bracknell, who never lets common sense get in the way of social graces.

Yet, as is the case with any of Mr. Wilde's works, it's the dialogue that wins the day. Mr. Wilde's dialogue -- its rhythm, its timing, its ease -- must be studied. It holds many lessons to be learned.

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"Lady Windermere's Fan" by Oscar Wilde: Lady Margaret Windermere is turning 21. Lord Arthur Windermere, her loving husband of two years and father of her six-month-old son, has already given his wife an exquisite fan as a birthday present. What he didn't mean to give her, however, is a reason to question his devotion.

It seems Lord Windermere has been seen in the company of a Mrs. Erlynne, a beautiful stranger in town that is rumored to have a frightful past. It's even said that Lord Windermere has been giving Mrs. Erlynne rather large sums of money. When confronted with the gossip, Lord Windermere assures his wife that things aren't what they seem. Mrs. Erlynne is simply a tragic figure in need of help. He even insists upon inviting Mrs. Erlynne to Lady Windermere's party that evening in hopes of introducing her once more to society.

Lady Windermere is furious and doesn't believe her husband's flimsy excuse for a moment. She's convinced they're having an affair and sees his wanting to invite Mrs. Erlynne as a personal insult and a pathetic attempt to make his relationship with this scandalous woman seem somehow proper. So angered, Lady Windermere swears that if Mrs. Erlynne shows up at her party she would strike her across the face with the very fan her husband had given her as a token of his love.

One can't proceed much further without revealing plot best left in shadow. "Lady Windermere's Fan," while still of mirth and wit, is not at all the pure, unabashed comedy of "Earnest." It uses the morals of Victorian society to illustrate love and its endless sacrifices. Make no mistake, love is sacrifice. If that weren't enough to recommend this tale, there's also a heart-rending theme of regret. This is a piece of surprising depth. And Mr. Wilde succeeds in pulling it off with his usual charm.

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