The Waterloo Bridge Theatre Company’s double
bill, "The Bear" and "The Importance of Being
Earnest," unites two commanding and very different literary
figures – Oscar Wilde and Anton Chekhov.
Journalist, poet, playwright, novelist and author of children’s
fables, the Anglo-Irish Wilde (1854-1900) was perhaps best known
for his charm, wit and flamboyant dress. At his height, Wilde
was a prominent proponent of an aesthetic movement that advocated
"art for art’s sake."
None of this helped him much when his affair with Lord Alfred
Douglas led to his imprisonment for homosexual behavior, effectively
putting an end to his career at the age of 41. A broken man,
he died five years later.
Russian playwright and short story writer Anton Chekhov (1860-1904)
was actually a physician in a poor area outside Moscow. He had
already written hundreds of short stories when at the age of
28 he began to be taken seriously as a writer. Chekhov’s work,
often very funny, is noteworthy for its realistic portrayal of
ordinary human beings caught in situations they find unmanageable.
Like Wilde, Chekhov died young, succumbing to tuberculosis at
the age of 44.
Despite their differences, what is strikingly obvious about these
two literary giants is that they were contemporaries. Living
in the latter half of the 19th century, both witnessed tremendous
upheavals in their respective countries: England was establishing
her empire and Russia was coming out of the feudal system of
the Middle Ages. To a large extent, these changes are reflected
in the work of both.
"The Bear," directed by Michael Hagins, is a one-act
dealing with the attempts of the boorish (or bear-ish) Grigory
Stipanovich Smirnov (David Rigg), a landowner who has none of
the graces that come with such a position, to recover a debt
from the widow Yeliena Ivanova Popova (Sharon Cacciabuado). Smirnov
never gets his money, but he does get the girl. And it is Chekhov’s
subtle play of emotions and shift of mood as well as the wonderful
acting of Cacciabuado and Rigg that make this rendering so enjoyable
and funny.
The company has used an abridged version of "The Importance
of Being Earnest," which may be a disappointment for those
who are familiar with the play and miss a few of Wilde’s sparkling
epigrams. But for those who can deal with the omissions, or who
believe that less is more, this production trips along as lightly
and gracefully as a deer running through the woods.
Wilde’s most popular play, "Earnest" is a comedy of
manners and a satire on the British nobility and clergy. This
production is directed by J. Brandon Hill.
Jack Worthing (Jason Esquerra), a foundling who was discovered
in a handbag at Victoria Station, has a ward named Cecily Cardew
(Kimberly Rae Miller). In order to justify his frequent merrymaking
trips to London, he fabricates a rascally younger brother named
Earnest who constantly needs his older brother to get him out
of trouble.
As the play opens, Worthing, as Earnest, is seeking the hand
of Gwendolen Fairfax (Katherine Sise) daughter of Lady Bracknell
(Cate Brewer), an upper-class snob who objects to the match because
of Worthing’s lack of appropriate connections.
Worthing has a friend named Algernon Moncrief (Will Pinchin)
who learns of Worthing’s deception and decides to go to Worthing’s
country estate and woo Cecily posing as the fictitious Earnest.
Soon both Gwendolen and Cecily are in love with men whom they
believe are named Earnest – a name which is, in fact, very important
to them.
When Worthing and Moncrief learn of the ladies’ predilection
for the name Earnest, they each ask Reverend Chasuble (Danny
Jensen) to re-christen them, until a twist in the plot proves
this unnecessary.
Pinchin and Esquerra parry magnificently but don’t do enough
to distinguish their characters from each other. And Sise and
Miller are true to form as the proper young ladies trying to
get their way without popping out of their corsets.
While the affectations of all the characters may be a bit much
for a contemporary audience, they are quite consistent with Wilde’s
elegant witticisms. Lines like, "You’ve buried yourself
alive, but you haven’t forgotten to powder your face," "Do
you smoke? Every man should have an occupation," and, "In
matters of great importance, style, not sincerity, is the thing,"
deserve the accompaniment of a churlish twist of the lips, a
fluttery flight of the hand or the surreptitious wink of the
eye.
The Waterloo Bridge company has yet to attract the audiences
to fill their theater and their coffers. This means bare-bones
sets and lighting. (They seem to do better with costumes.) Nevertheless
"The Bear" and "The Importance of Being Earnest"
make for an delightful evening of light, no-frills laughter.
The Waterloo Bridge Theatre Company’s
productions of "The Bear" and "The Importance
of Being Earnest" play through March 14, Thursday through
Saturday at 8 pm, and Sunday at 3 pm. Tickets are $15, $10 students.
The Waterloo Bridge Playhouse is located at 475 Third Ave. at
10th Street in Gowanus. For reservations, call (212) 502-0796
or visit www.waterloobridge.4t.com.
