_{Alice Moncrieff (Mary Sapp) has taken quite a fancy to Cecil Cardew (Billy Lewand) in Castle Hill Production’s The Importance of Being Ernestine, playing March 7-17 at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate (courtesy photo)}

By Amrita Kumar 

IPSWICH — The Importance of Being Earnest is Oscar Wilde’s most endearing comedy, dating back to the 1800s.

The story itself is classic and beloved by many, so it is no surprise that Kristina Grundmann, the Trustees cultural programs coordinator, was inspired to bring it to Castle Hill. 

But rather than staging the original production, she had an even better idea: switching the genders of the lead characters in the show. 

“It gave us an opportunity to do something that’s, if not important, at least significant,” she said. 

While brainstorming ideas for this year’s production, Grundmann stumbled upon The Importance of Being Earnest and was immediately struck by its brilliance.

She couldn’t help but wonder how audiences would react if women were to engage in the same behaviors as the male characters.

But with the constraints of Victorian times in mind, she contemplated shifting the setting to the 1920s. 

“We couldn’t do it in Victorian times, obviously,” she said. “But if we pushed it up into the 20s, which is the time period in which our house is set, you know, women were getting pretty wild and could conceivably do the things that are depicted in the play. So after reading through it, I offered it up as an idea, and people said yes.” 

SHOCKINGLY FUNNY

Because of its timelessness, The Importance of Being Earnest can be reinterpreted and adapted in numerous ways, including the main character of Earnest being renamed as Ernestine.

This being paired with Grundmann’s idea to bring this story forward into the 1920s, a bold new perspective will be offered for audiences of all ages. 

“I think it will be shockingly funny,” stage manager Lydia Brendel predicted.

Grundmann’s daughter, she added, “I’m not usually a fan of slapstick comedies — and this isn’t slapstick, super-physical comedy — but because of the gender swap, there have become a lot of very funny moments just because it’s the other gender speaking it.”

Although many aspects of the story are bound to be different because of the gender reversals and set change, Oscar Wilde’s original wording will have little to no modifications. 

“I really want this to be about the wit,” Grundmann said. “The words are so good. And yes, you can have a beautiful set. You can have this wonderful stuff. But when it comes down to it, we’re in the theater to experience the words, the sounds, the story. And so I hope that this will kind of give Oscar some more life. He deserves it.” 

Both Grundmann and Brendel have been committed to keeping the script as pure and historically accurate as possible.

However, with that comes its fair share of challenges and copious amounts of research. 

“Finding out when a ballpoint pen was invented was a very specific question that I didn’t know I needed answered,” Brendel reflected.

“The research in terms of the style of movement that the actors are moving in. The language that they’re using, whether it’s in date or not. The fashion of their clothing. Their houses and what location they would be in. Also the social hierarchy shifted between the times, so figuring out, ‘Oh, is it okay for these people to touch?’ All kinds of social norms changed,” she said. 

DIFFERENT LIGHT

This classic reimagining will empower the female characters and challenge societal expectations placed on men.

Audiences will find both enjoyment in the play’s timelessness and insight into society’s gender roles. The goal is to offer the audience a sense of relatability and deep connection, whether it’s in the clothing they wear or the words that they speak. 

“It’s being interpreted in a way that you haven’t seen before,” Grundmann said. “That’s why we go to Shakespeare. It’s not because we want to see the same story again, but we want to see it in a different light.” 

“We’re keeping true to Oscar Wilde’s intentions but making it more tangible to a modern audience,” Brendel said. 

The Importance of Being Earnestine runs March 7 to 17, Thursday-Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. Tickets are on sale at thetrustees.org/events. 

• More events can be found in the calendar here.

Amrita Kumar is a journalism student at Endicott College.

https://thelocalnews.news/2024/03/06/earnest-becomes-ernestine-in-castle-hill-farce