The Importance of Being Ernest

This afternoon was my visit to the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Center for the performing arts. It's both the home of the University's Drama/Dance/Choral/Instrumental and Fine Arts schools and a host to all manner of traveling performances. I have seen the students perform "Our Town," I have seen Yo Yo Ma and the SIlkroad Ensemble perform in the first tour, and I have seen the great actor Denis O'Hare perform the one-man show "An Iliad" there. It's 5 minutes from my home and I don't take nearly as much of an advantage of it as I should.

Today it was the Drama Department's turn with a production of "The Importance of Being Ernest". This is one of those plays that is perfect for College students to do. It's so well conceived that it requires only a minimum of talent to be entertaining. Which isn't to say that the young actors didn't have talent...but perhaps what they had more of is potential. And this is exactly what you expect from a University Drama Department.

In keeping with the current fad of cross gender casting, the role of the male lead, John "Jack" Worthington was plays by a girl, and the role of the dowager Lady Bracknell was played by a boy. Both with great aplume! And so once you enter into the silly-world this creates, over-the-top farsicle melodramic and dandyish presentations of the characters becomes the world in which you are now invited. Indeed, it captures a certain time-honored, time period sensitive recreation of the original essence of the play. And bottomlining it--it was fun! The students had fun, and I had fun, too!

The sets were very interesting and well conceived. I was able to the get a snapshot of the open act. For Act II, the curtains fell away to reveal a lush garden with a swing, and then Act III, lost all of the greenery and flowers for books and a library in the mansion. The transitions were very impressive.

An Iliad

 Living in the suburban DC area, I am just SPOILED with opportunities. My home is about a mile north of the DC line and about a mile west of the University of Maryland. I have always availed myself of things to do in DC, but much less so at UMD. Which is crazy when you think about it. The university has this outstanding Performing Arts Center named after Clarice Smith--her husband has the business school named after him. The center has 5 theaters in it. I've been there a couple of times before, but whole years and more seem to pass between visits, and that's just wasting my advantage. I plan to do better.

Tonight I saw the one man show by Lisa Peterson called "An Iliad". Performed by Denis O'Hare. It's a retelling of the famous tale by a man who appears to be a timeless vagabond. It opens after the cacophonous sounds of a train arriving and departing a station then a flash of light and there he sits on a suitcase. 

The stage is set to look like a stage, but everything on it bears symbolism as the timeless story of war unfolds before us. Early on, the "bard" is joined in a theater box adjacent to the stage (and fate would have it right next to me) by a cellist who's acoustic accompaniment enhances the telling. He is referred to as the "muse".

It was a dynamic, nearly exhausting performance by one of the most gifted actors out there doing live theater like this today. I have been in awe of Denis since his Law & Order days when he performed amazing guest roles. Two in particular stand out to me: He was the schizophrenic law student who off his meds hacked 3 people in the vintage clothing store to death and ended up defending himself. He was the neighborhood priest who killed the drug dealer and used the defense that God told him to kill the man. Every appearance proved an iconic one.

The production blended soliloquies from the actual Greek and English translations of Homer's Iliad, with observations both historic and contemporary on the nature of war and man. The lighting was an integral part of the production so that there were times that he delivered his lines looking directly at me and I (along with other members of the audience) was clearly visible to him. Sitting in the front row staring up at him, I wanted more than anything for him to know just how much I admire his talents, and how grateful for the chance to experience his gift in person.

“Let me not then die ingloriously and without a struggle, but let me first do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter.” 
― Homer, The Iliad