Event Article

A delightful comedy of manners will be coming to the Fullerton College Bronwyn Dodson Theater when Oscar Wilde's, "The Importance of Being Ernest," begins playing on May 12. Two casts, one of which performs in a Victorian setting and the other in a contemporary setting, will perform the play.

The Victorian cast performed opening night, May 3, and they certainly further established the excellent reputation of the Fullerton College Theatre Department.

"Ernest" is a comedy that pokes fun at Victorian hypocrisy. The play demonstrates how the institution of marriage was a joke and the mode by which the lower classes moved up.

In Victorian society being pretentious was favored over being honest, and there are many hilarious references to this in the play. Although the jokes went over many heads the actors were very skilled at making the audience laugh.

·If Wilde's satirical humor wasn't enough, the characters were so eccentric that their mannerisms and peculiar personalities made it difficult not to giggle.

Now for a quick overview of the play: the main character (Ryan Moreno) is Ernest in the city and Jack in the country. He is engaged to Gwendolen Fairfax (Amanda Hallman) in the city. In the country· he has a ward named Cecily Cardew (Andrea Paquin) who knows him as Jack and .who Gwendolen does not know about. Cecily has never seen Ernest but is engaged to him. Jack's "friend," Algernon Moncief (John Goodson), goes to the country to see Cecily under the name of Ernest.

When Jack arrives in the country saying his "brother" Ernest is dead the much-dreaded truth begins to unravel.

Sasanna Babashoff, who plays the character of Miss Prism, gives a striking performance. The time and effort spent on perfecting her character was obvious.

Always awe-inspiring is John Goodson who plays Algernon Moncrief; he steels the stage at every chance. Andrea Paquin gives a very funny performance as Cecily Cardew, embodying jovial idealism. Amanda Hallman's soft femininity complements the role of Gwendolen perfectly.

Robert Moreno plays the lead role; His performance is a bit lack luster, possible opening night jitters causes a bit of trouble where suspension of reality is concerned.

Because his overall performance went well, the audience gladly overlooked those moments.

The costumes, lighting and set where flawless and the intimate setting made the audience feel very comfortable.

Attending a live performance at F.C. beats going to the movies any night. So pick up your tickets at the box office before it's too late.