Theatre Review: The Importance of Being Earnest

Oscar Wilde‘s The Importance of Being Earnest is a captivating comedy and a clever social commentary. Bunburying around town, John (Alex Barlas) and Algernon (Jay Lee) use a fictitious name, Earnest, to hide their real identities in an attempt to avoid social responsibilities. But falling in love is complicated, and fake identities just make things worse.

The characters reflect Victorian England, a transformative period when the upper class saw their status challenged by the expansion of education and the possibility of a revolution. In that respect, Director Gigi Bermingham turns the stage into a faithful representation of the English aristocracy and the pressing issues afflicting them. The actors nail their roles and create a delightful expression of tea time with the characteristic wit of British comedy.

Lee and Barlas are a terrific duo that add depth and dynamism to their characters. Barlas as the gentle aristocrat John Worthing and Lee as the charming dandy Algernon Moncrieff. Their female counterparts, Jules Willcox as Gwendolen Fairfax and Alessandra Mañón as Cecily Cardew infuse vivacity to their charming and bitchy frenmity. The supporting cast also do a great job capturing the conflicting social norms prevalent during Wilde’s life. Bo Foxworth plays Rev. Canon Chasuble, a man who tries to uphold British morality while suppressing his own romantic feelings for Miss Prism (Julia Fletcher). And to satirize Victorian society even more, Wilde uses Lady Bracknell as the figure that represents the selfishness of the upper class. Anne Gee Byrd plays the role with hilarious wickedness, an attribute that complements the heart of the play and Wilde’s biting animosity towards a vain and conservative society.

The sumptuous costumes and creative set design are in themselves an attraction to enjoy. The tailored Victorian dresses and the elegant suits add an air of sophistication to the production that match perfectly with the decoration of the set design. The china sets reveal the attention to detail, a characteristic of real professionals.

With attractive visual elements, a group of extraordinary actors, and excellent direction, this production honors the conflicting feelings of a playwright who defied conventions and advocated for free will in a time when doing so would result in ostracism and the loss of freedom.

The Importance of Being Earnest

Antaeus Theatre Company
Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center
110 East Broadway
Glendale, CA 91205
(between N. Brand Blvd. and Artsakh Ave.)

Oct 13, 2024 – Nov 18, 2024

Ticketsantaeus.org

Written by Oscar Wilde. Directed by Gigi Bermingham.

Cast: Alex Barlas, Anne Gee Byrd, Julia Fletcher, Bo Foxworth, Jay Lee, Alessandra Mañón, Jules Willcox, and Michael Yapujian.

Creative team: Scenic Designer Angela Balogh Calin. Lighting Designer Ken Booth. Properties Designer John McElveney. Dialect Coach Paul Wagar. Production Dramaturg Rachel Berney Needleman. Costume Designer Julie Keen. Sound Designer Salvador C Zamora. Intimacy Director Jen Albert. Production Stage Manager Talya Camras. Assistant Stage Manager Casey Collaso.

Theatre Review: Love and Information

Antaeus Theatre Company presents Love and Information. Written by Caryl Churchill. Directed by Emily Chase.

Love and Information is like a social media session, lots of information to digest at once. However, that might’ve been Churchill’s intention when she wrote the play, to express the difficulty of processing the avalanche of information to which our brains get exposed in modern days.

This is a fragmented play in which all actors play different characters in different scenes. Churchill’s play is a mosaic of human experiences, relationships with other humans, and our relationship with technology. Within that mayhem, we see multiple short scenes where characters misinterpret information, connect with others, and get lost in virtual worlds. Another topic in the play is memory. The endearing memories of family moments, remembering relatives, places, and events. But also the lack of memory, due to dementia, Alzheimer’s, or both, and the devastating effects on the loved ones. 

The play also shows the intrinsic need of human connection despite the advances in technology. There is a scene where an older woman is telling a story to two young children. That scene shows one of the most ancient forms known to humans to share and pass along wisdom and information from generation to generation: Storytelling. The situations depicted in the scenes are references to the various aspects of the human experience since the very beginning, our relationship with the universe, the need of intimacy, and the search for love. 

The cyan shades (Frederica Nascimento, scenic design) give a dreamy and mystic aura to the set and the projections (Ly Eisenstein, projection design) are used creatively to represent the modern use of screens as communication devices and to show the frenetic processing of information within our brains. 

The eight actors deliver outstanding performances using movement and dialogue to enhance the meaning of the play. And of course, the brilliant direction by Emily Chase, whose cast choices and organization of the scenes and blocking achieve a powerful and emotional performance.          

Love and Information

Written by Caryl Churchill. Directed Emily Chase. Starring John ApicellaAnne Gee Byrd EverybodyDarius De La CruzKwana MartinezKevin MatsumotoErin PinedaLloyd Roberson II Hamlet, and Zoe Yale. Presented by Antaeus Theatre Company.

Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center
110 East Broadway
Glendale, CA 91205
(between N. Brand Blvd. and Artsakh Ave.)

Performances: March 3 – April 3
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: March 3 (Opening), March 10, March 17, March 24, March 31
• Saturdays at 2 p.m.: March 11, March 18, March 25, April 1 (no matinee on March 4)
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: March 4, March 11, March 18, March 25, April 1
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: Feb. 26 (preview), March 5, March 12, March 19, March 26, April 2
• Mondays at 8 p.m.: March 13, March 20, March 27, April 3 (dark March 6)

Tickets: antaeus.org

Creative team: Scenic designer Frederica Nascimento, costume designer Angela Balogh Calin, lighting designer Christine Ferriter, sound designer John Zalewski, projection designer Ly Eisenstein, and properties designer Katie IannitelloCarly DW Bones is the intimacy director, Kaite Brandt is the assistant director, Jess Osorio is the assistant stage manager, and Karen Osborne is the production stage manager.

Theatre Review: Everybody

Everybody is presented by Antaeus Theatre Company. The play is written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Jennifer Chang.

God (Cherish Monique Duke) is disappointed and now humans have to prepare a presentation to show her what they did with their lives once Death (Anne Gee Byrd) shows up to take them with her. In this instance, Death chooses Everybody (Nicole Erb) to start putting her presentation together as she’s next in line. As she’s not quite ready to die and panic settles in, Everybody asks the people around to go with her as a companion to her journey with Death. Friendship (Lisa Sanaye Dring) seems sympathetic at first, but once Everybody asks her to go with her, Friendship refuses and leaves. Next comes Cousin (Antonio Jaramillo) who also encourages Everybody, but also leaves when asked to go with her. Kinship (Gerard Joseph) does the same thing. The three of them encourage Everybody, but she starts to realize that her journey with Death to face God will be a lonely one. Even Stuff (Harry Groener), representing all material things, decides to leave Everybody and move on to somebody else.

The play shows that life becomes a collection of relationships and material things and what we do with them during our lifetime. As the end is near, Everybody sees a Little Girl (Dawn Didawick), probably a reference to her younger self, as some people who have experienced near-death experiences have recalled flashbacks of happy times. 

Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, echoing Carl Jung’s ideas, covers some concepts that have intrigued many people throughout history: Collective unconscious, archetype, what happens when we die? The idea that humans will be held liable for their actions in a last judgement is a concept in many cultures around world, even among cultures with no apparent connection with each other, an accurate reference in the title of this play, Everybody.      

At the end, Beauty, Senses, Strength, and Mind leave Everybody alone. Out of characters to ask and time running out, Everybody then turns to Love (Alberto Isaac) and begs him to go with her. Love finally agrees, but in exchange, she must show him her humbleness to gain his trust.

The direction by Jennifer Chang is excellent. The blocking of the actors and the display of conflict and emotions make it a very entertaining theatre experience. The script is an example of how to combine philosophical themes with witty characters that are engaging and thoughtful at the same time. For opening night, Nicole Erb offered a very brave and extraordinary performance playing Everybody. The lighting (Bryan Ealey, lighting designer), sound effects (Salvador Zamora, sound designer), and projections (Yi-Chien Lee, projection designer) created a mystic ambiance that highlighted the intriguing and fascinating topics of life and death. 

Everybody

Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Directed Jennifer Chang. Starring Anne Gee Byrd, Dawn DidawickLisa Sanaye DringCherish Monique DukeNicole ErbHarry GroenerAlberto IsaacAntonio Jaramillo, and Gerard Joseph. Presented by Antaeus Theatre Company.

Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center
110 East Broadway
Glendale, CA 91205
(between N. Brand Blvd. and Artsakh Ave.)

Performances: September 16 – October 17

Thursdays at 8 p.m.: Oct. 6 and Oct. 13 ONLY
Fridays at 8 p.m.: Sept. 16 (Opening), Sept. 23, Sept. 30, Oct. 7, Oct. 14
Saturdays at 2 p.m.: Sept. 24, Oct. 1, Oct. 8, Oct. 15 (no matinee on Sept. 17)
Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1, Oct. 8, Oct. 15
Sundays at 2 p.m.: Sept. 18, Sept. 25, Oct. 2, Oct. 9, Oct. 16
Mondays at 8 p.m.: Sept. 26, Oct. 3, Oct. 10. Oct. 17 (dark Sept. 19)

Tickets: antaeus.org