727. Of Vital Importance - a theater review

I'm politely shocked that there is only one mention - on March 15, 2007 - of Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest anywhere to be found on my blog. Rather like those precious cucumber sandwiches Aunt Augusta was expecting, there just isn't any, more than the one instance, of Earnest to be found - not even for ready money.

Oscar Wilde's play, The Importance of Being Earnest, was written in the town of Worthing, England in late summer of 1894. Its first performance was made on February 14th of the next year, a date which has a role in the play. It has long, long been one of my favorite plays and I have seen several performances of it over the years, the first I recall being in the Fine Arts Center at the University of Kentucky on Rose Street, just south of Euclid Avenue. I also have several copies of the play itself, and have committed to memory many of the lines, many of which set me on an uncontrollable laughter for minutes at a time. The play is a series of witty puns and wordplays mostly about the importance of the trivial versus the inanity of the serious. It follows the story of two mischievous friends, John "Jack" (and later Ernest John) Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff.

Earlier this evening, my friend Preston Bates and I took in the Savage Rose Classical Theater Company's performance of this favorite play of mine, staged at Walden Theater, housed in the former Saint Aloysius School on Payne Street in Louisville's Irish Hill neighborhood. Tonight was the closing show, a run which began on March 9th.

This production was played in three acts - in Algernon's home, then the garden at Jack Worthing's Manor House, and finally the interior rooms of the Manor House. The characters of the play, in addition to Algernon and Jack are Lane, who is Algernon's manservant; Algernon's aunt, Augusta, and her daughter Gwendolyn; Jack's ward, Cecily; Jack's butler, Merriman; Cecily tutor, Miss Prism; and the local rector, the Rev. Canon Chasuble. And a handbag, with handles, which had been inadvertently left at the Victoria Station cloak room of the Brighton Line. This performance was under the direction of Charlie Fields, director, and Melinda Crecelius, assistant director.

In tonight's performance, two portrayals easily stood out - that of Lady Bracknell - of course - and that of Jack Worthing, later Ernest Moncrieff.

Lady Bracknell was portrayed by J. Barrett Cooper. In all the performances I've seen of the play, Cooper's crossdressing to create Lady Bracknell is the most overwhelming I've ever encountered - truly Wagnerian. I've always had an image in my mind of what Lady Bracknell should look like and up until tonight I had not seen that character. That has changed. The Cooperian Lady Bracknell was truly Wagnerian, to say the least. Some of the pregnant pauses taken by the character were a little too pregnant and the effect was, ever so slightly, sometimes lost by a second or two. But the change in voice when Lady Bracknell recognises Miss Prism, or Prism or, as you would text it to indicate the boldness of the voice, PRISM, brought the character back to a full dramatization. Her stern looks and, what can I say, broad shoulders, brought Lady Bracknell to the stentorian life which Wilde's pen had truly created for her - a good performance.

Cecily Cardew, the ward of Jack Worthing, was portrayed in sweet and enchanting innocence by Julane Havens who has been seen over in Central Park in recent years. My seven faithful readers will recall that I am a faithful attendee at Shakespeare in the Park in the summer months. Ms. Havens was wonderful as the young ward and love-interest for Algernon. Her foil in the play is Gwendolyn Fairfax, Lady Bracknell's daughter. Gwendolyn was performed by Natalie Fields, a graduate of Walden School who went away to college for her drama degrees. She and Cooper's Lady Bracknell looked amazingly "related." Ms. Fields must somehow be "really" some kin to Mr. Cooper.

Cecily's love-item in the play, stated earlier, is one of the two main characters, Algernon Moncrieff, played by a personal acquaintance and Facebook friend, Mike Slaton. Mike has been on local stages for years and I have seen him in a variety of roles. His performance tonight as the idle but handsome Algernon was fun to watch, especially as he described and defended his bunburying activities. (One might ask some of the Yarmuth for Congress 2006 campaign crew to define "nobling" for you as it is related to "bunburying.")

Tony Prince is another long-time local actor this time portraying the Rev. Doctor Chasuble, the local rector, provider of unpublished sermons and adult christenings at the ring of a bell. His opposite-sex interest in the play is Miss Prism, played by Kelly Moore, reprising the same role she played a decade ago. She is appropriately deferant to Lady Bracknell when the details as to her unfortunate day "28 years ago" are bought to life.

The two "manservants" were played by Gerry Rose, as Lane in Algernon's household, and Monte Priddy, as Merriman in Jack's country residence. I am not familiar with Rose but will make the guess that his last name is somewhat responsible for the Rose name in the theater company. I don't know that - just venturing a guess. Monte Priddy has been acting in Louisville as long as I have been alive, many times at Central Park. I've seen him in more roles than I can remember. He is a Louisville drama treasure.

But for me, the Oscar easily goes to Neill Robertson and his portrayal of the central character, indeed the title character, of the play, Jack Worthing, who in the end discovers the vital importance of being earnest. Mr. Robertson is unfamiliar to me, and I would easily remember his striking facial features and beautiful curly gingerhead curls. (Baldies notice hair). Robertson played the role to the top of the game, responding to Algernon, Lady Bracknell, and all the characters with a variety of looks, some of fear, others of anger, and others of interest. His voices in the play were much on target. He reminded me of my friend Callaway Kosine in appearance and demeanor and tone of voice and I said as much to Preston who, he informed me, has yet to meet Callaway. But, I digress.
Robertson was absolutely delightful to watch in every way and I look forward to seeing him again. His was the worthiest Jack Worthing I've had the pleasure to watch.

It was a wonderful, wonderful night. We began a little early at the Garage Bar and ended with dinner at Ramsi's. Quite and pleasurable evening. Thanks, Preston.

For more information on the Savage Rose Theatre Company, visit their website at savagerose.org.

726. Capital Briefs

Reporting from the National Capital, somewhere along the Left Bank of the Potomac River, about Milepost 96 if memory serves me.

Attended church this morning at Saint Margaret's Episcopal, on Connecticut Avenue near Leroy Place. There were about 87 in attendance, a number which includes the 20 or so in the procession - a rector, assistant rector, three acolytes, and about 20 choir members. While my church has abandoned gold and silver during Lent in favor of wooden chalices and crosses, St. Margaret's hasn't. The homilist gave a left-of-center sermon related (mostly) to the Ten Commandments, which were the focus of the First Reading on the Third Sunday of Lent. She made a comparison of different types of laws and how laws should be made to unite rather than divide. Her sermon included support of same-sex marriages, but it was only one of many points she made. This was, as best I could tell, her first or second Sunday as the new rector.

After church I met a Kentucky-to-DC transplant, my friend Jessie Phelps. She relocated here at the beginning of the year to work in Congressman Yarmuth's office. We spent the afternoon walking from St. Margaret's south into Dupont Circle, then west along Massachusetts Avenue to 16th, and then again south to St. John's, the Hay-Adams House, and the White House. From there we walked the lower end of the National Mall, encircling Washington's Monument and the World War II monument. We then walked westward passed the Vietman War Memorial Wall to see Mr. Lincoln, sitting up high in his personal cathedral. I was mostly moved by the large number of people who were simply seated on the steps and approaches all around. I wanted to say to Lincoln and all his admirers, "I, too, am a Kentuckian" but resisted.

Eventually, Jessie and I crossed the bridge to Arlington, Virginia, where after a quick trip on the Metro, we parted ways. I had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.

725. 90,000

The population of Toowoomba, Australia is said to be 90,000. That is also the population statistic given for two countries, Grenada and Aruba. Lakewood, New Jersey is said to have the same number of residents. Los Angeles is said to have 90,000 homeless.

As of March 1, 2012, at 9:48 am, a visitor from Washington, DC become the blog's 90,000th visitor, pulling up entry #642 from August 9, 2010, which was largely a discussion from my trip to the New Madrid Bend of Kentucky and Reelfoot Lake area in Tennessee.

90,000 ! Woohoo! Keep reading.

724A - Answers to the quiz

No one played except Jim Holland who got a few right.


1. What is the US highway route number which serves as the name of a street from a point just outside, or northeast, of the Watterson Expressway?

US42

2. What is the Kentucky highway route number for this street which begins with a "real" name in the Highlands area but changes names to a three-digit highway route for its final two miles in the county?

KY155

3. What is the single streetname which is applied to roads carrying a US highway designation, a two-digit Kentucky highway designation, and a four-digit Kentucky highway designation, although no two at the same time, and for a while has no highway route designation at all, but did at one time?

BROWNSBORO ROAD, which is US42 from near the Watterson back toward downtown, KY22 from Seminary Drive eastward to Ballardsville Road, KY1694 north of Ballardsville Road (which is KY22 at that point), and nothing at all between Holiday Manor and Seminary Drive (but was KY22 before Seminary Drive was constructed).

The rest are "Identify the Intersection" questions. I will give you two highway routes - you tell me the streets forming their intersection.

4. US 31 and US 60

2nd and MAIN STREETS

5. US 42 and KY 3222

US42 and ROSE ISLAND ROAD. (Some Louisville highway maps from the 1950s and 1960s call US42 as LOUISVILLE-CINCINNATI HIGHWAY, which was the project name, but it was never officially adopted).

6. KY 146 and KY 2050

NEW LA GRANGE ROAD and LYNDON LANE

7. KY 1116 and KY 2053

ZONETON ROAD and THIXTON LANE, also known as Thixton Road).

8. KY 1142 and KY 1931

PALATKA ROAD and MANSLICK ROAD/SAINT ANDREWS CHURCH ROAD

9. KY 1230 and KY 1849

LOWER RIVER and MOORMAN ROADS

10. KY 1447 and KY 1932

WESTPORT ROAD and CHENOWETH LANE

11. KY 1531 and KY 1819

ROUTT and BRUSH RUN ROADS

12. KY 1703 and KY 2860

BAXTER AVENUE and GRINSTEAD DRIVE

13. KY 1747 and KY 2052

NEWBURG ROAD/BUECHEL BANK ROAD and SHEPHERDSVILLE ROAD, informally known as Old Shepherdsville Road.

14. KY 1865 and KY 2055

NEW CUT ROAD and W. MANSLICK ROAD, not to be confused with the intersection of W. Manslick Road and Old New Cut Road, about 2 miles away.

15. KY 1934 and KY 2054

CANE RUN ROAD/WILSON AVENUE and ALGONQUIN PARKWAY

More Difficult

16. KY 1851 and KY 2317

BARRACKS ROAD and HUTCHERSON DRIVE

Much More Difficult

17. What is the name of the road numbered as KY 2803 ?

ARTHUR STREET, alongside I-65 in the parts that it isn't KY61.

18. Where is the location of the road numbered as KY 6298 ?

This is the service road behind Cooper Memorial United Methodist Church at Commerce Crossings Drive and Preston Highway. It is technically called Cooper Church Drive.

Trick Questions

19. Which is higher - US 31 or KY 3077 ? Regular readers of the blog and/or my Facebook page should at least get part of this answer.
20. Where is US 31 and/or KY 3077 ? Regular readers of the blog and/or my Facebook page should at least get part of this answer.

US31 is the Clark Memorial Bridge. KY3077 is River Road below I-64. Therefore, US31 is higher as it runs "over" River Road at 2nd Street.


Thanks for playing.