DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended
"...In The Importance of Being Earnest, the meat of the action is words. Even the title is a pun. It may not be surprising then, that the hero of the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production is voice and text coach Gary Logan. Not the sexiest job, granted, but Logan guided the spirited cast through Oscar Wilde’s twisting prose. Thanks to Logan and Director Keith Baxter, the brilliant cast of actors charmed downtown DC’s Lansburgh Theatre with punchy dialogue and non-stop humor."
MetroWeekly - Recommended
"...Although director Keith Baxter does not pull from his ensemble quite the consistency and rhythm the play needs, there are plenty of highlights and a finale that arrives with energy and joy. The bottom line is that if you know the play, you will find pleasure in the production, even if a blast of icy air might do some of it a bit of good."
Washington City Paper - Somewhat Recommended
"...It's a shame, really, because the staging looks phenomenal on the page. Keith Baxter, veteran director of Wildean and Restoration comedies, is at the helm. Gregory Wooddell, matinee-idol star of Baxter's An Ideal Husband and other Shakespeare Theatre Company outings, is Jack Worthing, wealthy and sardonic and famously related to a handbag. (What? Just Google it.) And Sian Phillips, distinguished veteran of stage and screen, takes on the delicious harridan Lady Bracknell, deliverer of some of Wilde's most memorably withering takedowns."
Washingtonian - Recommended
"...Roach and Wooddell, friends in real life, have an easy chemistry and an obvious affection for each other as they tussle over muffins and cucumber sandwiches and while away their hours in genteel idleness. The cast is also bolstered by a fine Patricia Conolly as the dappy Miss Prism, Floyd King as Dr. Chasuble, Todd Scofield as Lane, and John O'Creagh as Merriman. The one minor snag is that the lovely, languorous air of easy entitlement in the first act can cause the pace to drag occasionally. While no one wants Wilde's greatest words to get lost, a little more energy at times would go a long way. Still, with such a gorgeous feast for the eyes on stage, it's a small price to pay for such a visually enchanting spectacle."
ShowBizRadio - Recommended
"...Of course, the star in Earnest is the language, and director Baxter gives Wilde's wit its due. But he also reminds us that the play is a farce, adding several touches of physical comedy that may not be seen in other Earnests."
The Georgetowner - Highly Recommended
"...There is a reason of course why this play-as opposed to "Ideal" or the salacious and ground-breaking "Salome"-is Wilde's most popular play. For one thing, it's just about perfect in dealing with serious things in a frivolous way-there is no scene more delicious than when Gwendolyn and Cecily, straight-backed and steely, sit down to tea and cakes and muffins and size each other up. It's a battle of powerful insincerities stated sweetly and with a touch of both sugar and bitters. It's much the same as when Lady Bracknell measures Cecily as a lovely girl, and bashes her hair, her dress and so forth in devastating and perfunctory fashion. In those days, a woman couldn't simply say I'm wearing Ralph Lauren, but was immediately spotted for being not quite up to stuff."
MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended
"...Small touches round out the enjoyable experience. From the whimsical music leading each act, to the detailed sets, to the exasperated courtiers Jack and Algernon stuffing their mouths with muffins, it is a delight to the eye, ear, and mind. Trivial? I daresay not!"
DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended
As perhaps the pinnacle of high comedy in the English language, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest should never lose its place among classic dramatic literature. Each carefully placed word and phrase works to rattle the Victorian status quo and shed light on the trivialities society placed in high regard.
