The Importance of Being Earnest

published: Sat, 20-Aug-2016   |   updated: Wed, 4-Jan-2017

Rev. Canon Chasuble in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde for Millibo Art Theatre. Directed by Birgitta De Pree. March 2016.

Earnest has always had a warm place in my heart. It was the last play I saw in the West End before I emigrated to the States (with Maggie Smith as ... well, you can guess who) and it was the first play I acted in here in Colorado Springs. And I remember that production we saw in Windsor one September holiday where we met the cast the following day having a brief drink at The Two Brewers before the evening production (I don't think the stage manager knew anything about that).

So when I heard that MAT were putting it on, I thought why not? One of the butlers would be fine, and I would get to see how MAT works. It turned out that Birgitta nabbed me as Chasuble pretty well immediately, and also wanted me to help with accents and diction. OK, then.

I must admit it was a hoot to do and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was great hooking up with Ashley and Jane again (it had been many years the last time I was in a show with either), and meeting new actors (Camille, Anna Faye, Mark and Christian). And I was very gentle with, er, correcting their pronunciation. For a laugh at the cast party I bought a bottle of Perrier-Jouët, the champagne Jack mentions at one point in the play.

Cast