The idea of someone pretending to be someone else to achieve a goal has been explored in many works, such as the film “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Lying is seen as so fundamental to human nature, a movie was made that explored a world where lying didn’t exist — “The Invention of Lying.” Both of these ideas are central to USC’s School of Dramatic Arts (SDA) performance of “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde at the Boston Court Pasadena from Jan. 26-30. Despite the original script being written over 100 years ago, its commentary still resonates today.
“Knowing that this was written so many years ago, it fits in today with today’s society. I thought it was just very well adapted.” Norma Maldonado, an actress and friend of the play’s director Finola Hughes who watched the Jan. 28 afternoon showing, said. “I was very, very happy to see young actors taking on classics and doing it justice. I think all of them have an immense amount of talent.”
Hughes discussed the transition of this play from script to production, echoing Maldanado’s praise of the actors.
“This [play] is very dialogue heavy…. At the beginning, it was a bit daunting for everybody. The amount of dialogue, but actually, the actors worked so hard to get off book [memorized],” Hughes said. “And then, you can play around with staging and getting it off on its feet. And so, you know, we had a long time to work.
Director Hughes was previously an actor but directed her first movie in 2012 and directed three plays before that. Hughes said that directing a movie and directing a play are “completely different.”
“At a certain point, as a director in theater, you kind of hand it over to the actors, because it’s their play,” Hughes said. “Whereas in a film, you’re still tinkering with it after you’ve shot it.”
The play is directed by SDA lecturer and actress Finola Hughes and solely features MFA Acting Year 3 students as the actors, with Krosby João Roza as lead Jack/“Ernest” Worthing, Deniz Himmetoglu as Algernon Moncrieff, Megan Tomei as Gwendolen Fairfax, and Gabriella Weltman as Cecily Cardew, among others. The full program of the production can be viewed here.
The play was divided up into three distinct acts, with a 15-minute intermission in between the first act and the second act, and each scene in a distinct act set in the same location. The play revolves around the personas and fronts that the two main leads (Worthing and Moncrieff) put on for romance and to get what they want.
Lead actor Roza, who previously acted in the plays “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot,” “The Conduct of Life” and “The Winter’s Tale” at USC, praised Hughes.
“It’s been really fabulous being in rehearsal with our director Finola. Because she, being a really experienced British actor, can give us so many insights into this play,” Roza said.
The cast and creatives behind the show said they wanted everyone in the audience to enjoy watching the play.
“I want them to laugh at how absurd that society is and the way that Oscar Wilde set it up,” Hughes said. “I really just want people to have fun.”
Roza echoed a similar sentiment.
“I just want people to have fun and to root for us… root for the young lovers and the old lovers,” Roza said. “Anybody who can make it should try and make it to see it.”
“The Importance of Being Earnest” is played at the Boston Court Pasadena theater through Jan. 30. SDA’s next show is “Much Ado About Nothing,” which is playing from Feb. 16-25 at the Bing Theater on USC’s University Park campus.