Review: The Importance of Being Earnest / The Tempest
A Noise Within, 234 South Brand Blvd., Glendale, 818-546-1924
by Teresa Willis
Although the remaining two plays in the first trio of A Noise Within’s “Breeding Season” are an improvement on Blood Wedding (see the November issue of NoHo Magazine), there is an intangible discomfort to this theatre. Perhaps I’m too sensitive, perhaps I’m hyper-critical, perhaps I’m just plain loopy, but I could swear that there’s something missing. While A Noise Within has all the ingredients of a first-class operation, it is pounding the hammer down hard everywhere but on the head of the nail.
The Importance of Being Earnest is easily one of the best-loved plays of all time. Oscar Wilde’s brilliant skewering of love in turn-of-the-century Britain’s superficial upper class would delight even if read over the phone by a GTE operator. A Noise Within delivers a fun young production, with a cast and directors (Sabin Epstein and Art Manke) that handle the language and wit with ease. Geoff Elliot and Manke portray Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, respectively—Wilde’s foppish playboy heroes. Elliot’s interpretation is safe, spitting out Wilde’s sharp repartee with excellent timing. Mr. Manke, however, went full-on flaming queen with Algernon, a choice that is jarring at first, but makes perfect sense given what we know about the era and the playwright. In the late 1800s, the closet was a given for a homosexual and neglected wives were the norm. So why not play the game, get married, and have kids? (Breed!) As this is how Wilde himself seems to have lived his life, it’s an obvious choice for Algernon. Of course, there were no sparks flying between Manke and Gail Shapiro (who brilliantly plays Cecily Cardew) because we don’t believe he wants her for a minute. Jenna Cole shows strength as Gwendolyn, giving the play a boost with her entrance. Although the chemistry between her and Elliot starts out smoldering, it cools as the play progresses. The supporting players were exceptional, especially Dierk Torsek and Neil Vipond, who played the two butlers with requisite understated hilarity.
Generally, A Noise Within is technically superior to any Valley theatre I’ve reviewed so far. Most notable are the stunning costumes (designers in this case are Charles Tomlinson for The Tempest and Roxanne Fleming for Earnest). My apologies to set designer Bill Eigenbrodt. In last month’s review, I slammed his minimalist set. I’ll applaud functional this month. With three plays running in repertory, one set has to work for all three, and the simpler the better. Eigenbrodt built in versatile options for movement and concept.
Choreography seems to be a trademark of A Noise Within productions. Sometimes it works better than others. In Earnest, the precise movement of the footmen framed the scenes, setting the tone of the strict Victorian society. In The Tempest, however, the opening shipwreck was elaborately staged by director Sabin Epstein, with a chorus waving flags and streamers representing the wind and sea. It was spectacular to watch, but along with the sound effects and the lights, distracted terribly from the actors, who were running about and shouting to each other on stage. Truthfully, I understood about five syllables of the first scene. After straining to hear for a while, I just gave up and watched the “storm.”
Neil Vipond gives a skilled performance as Prospero, the Right Duke of Milan. Ousted from his throne by his brother Antonio (a brooding Cully Fredrickson) and turned adrift on the sea with his daughter, Miranda (Emily Hubns), Prospero has been cast upon an enchanted island. Through his knowledge of magic, Prospero has released various imprisoned spirits, including Ariel (Steve Weingartner), who now obey his orders. The play begins when a ship carrying Antonio is, by the art of Prospero, wrecked on the island. Good and evil go head to head on the island (and within our protagonist) but, in the end, Prospero learns to forgive.
In The Tempest, as in the other two plays, A Noise Within offers an intelligent, able interpretation. However, this cast seems to just skim the surface, ending up with a product that falls flat. The production has all the bells and whistles—fine actors, designers, financial support—but where’s the passion? Where’s the vulnerability? Where’s the heart? ♦