Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ @ Shakespeare Dallas

Photos by Jordan Fraker Photography

—Carol M. Rice

I absolutely love the wit of Oscar Wilde, though I’m not convinced that The Importance of Being Earnest is his best work. I’m particularly fond of Lady Windermere’s Fan and A Woman of No Importance myself, and often wonder they’re not produced more, whereas Earnest is done all over, and at every level from professional to high school.

But it’s a clever enough story, for sure: Country gentleman Jack Worthing (who calls himself Ernest when he’s in London) and his friend Algernon Moncreiff both lead double lives of sorts. When Algernon realizes his friend’s true name is not Ernest, he decides to use the name Ernest himself: he plans to meet and woo Jack’s pretty, young ward Cecily (back in the country), pretending to be “Uncle Jack’s” rather naughty younger brother.

Meanwhile, Jack and Gwendolyn have become engaged, but (because Gwendolyn met him in London) she thinks his name is Ernest. Inexplicably, both young women have always wanted to marry a man named Ernest. Jack and Algy both decide to be re-christened with that name immediately.

And despite what you might think, everything works out in the end.

Tommy Stuart plays Jack with more wide-eyed innocence than one would expect from someone who is one person in town and another in the country, whereas Brandon Whitlock’s Algernon comes across as almost slimy—but deliciously so. Despite their differences (or perhaps because of them?), Stuart and Whitlock have great chemistry, both with each other and with the ladies they’re courting.

As Gwendolyn, Caitlin Chapa is almost shockingly modern in her behavior toward Jack, practically throwing herself at him and begging for his love. Her attitude towards Cecily, played with charming sweetness by Lily Gast, is mixed, but more appropriate for the time. Gast plays the sweet young thing to the hilt, giving her a nice contrast to the bolder Chapa.

As the formidable Lady Bracknell, Nicole Berastequi is appropriately imposing, although she is much younger than I expected from other productions. The same can be said of Clay Wheeler as Dr. Chasuble and Elizabeth Evans as Miss Prism, though this didn’t diminish my enjoyment of any of their performances. It’s fun to see the romance between Miss Prism and Dr. Chasuble as more obvious from the beginning, and Lady Bracknell’s control over pretty much everyone she’s on stage with is always entertaining.

David Helms plays the dual roles of Lane and Merriman (the servants in Algernon’s London home and Jack’s country house). Helms doesn’t change much about his performance, but the costume change for the two roles is priceless.

The costume design by Ryan Matthieu Smith, Nick Lafleur, and Patrick Longoria is rather uneven throughout. The costumes for some characters are over-the-top masterpieces, but stand next to much more traditional garb for others. Either choice would have worked well, but such disparate styles were often distracting. I will say that I loved all the hats, from start to finish.

Smith is also the properties designer for the show, and he fares better here. Each tea set, for example, is absolutely exquisite, and the ridiculously huge, elaborate tea cake tower is priceless.

Uldarico Sarmiento Ossio’s scenic design utilizes a basic set with the same furniture pieces in different places in each of the three locations, and this works well to set each of the scenes. The lighting design by Lori Honeycutt is colorful and enhances the action and the set. Kellen Voss’s sound design—especially some of the sound effects meant for emphasis—also adds to the fun, although I did question some of the music choices.

Director Jenni Stewart obviously has a great time bringing this 1895 comedy to life, and her personal touches can be found all over the production. From the explanatory dumbshow at the beginning of the play to the rousing curtain call dance, Stewart has made this Earnest her own.

In case Shakespeare Dallas is new to you, the company performs outdoors at the Samuell Grand Amphitheatre in the summer—and it’s fine to bring picnics, coolers, chairs or blanket, and to make an event of it. The night I went, the weather was lovely and there was even a nice breeze, but I would have enjoyed the production even at higher temps. The Importance of Being Earnest runs in repertory with Shakespeare’s Othello though July 18.

WHEN: June 13-July 18, 2025
WHERE: 1500 Tenison Parkway, Dallas (Samuell Grand Park)
WEB: shakespearedallas.org