In June 2009, I was fortunate enough to attend the final radio performance of the play “The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People” by Oscar Wilde (directed by Michael Hackett, produced by L.A. Theatre Works, and provided by The Peter Glenville Foundation at Skirball Center). The radio play starred: James Marsters as Jack/Earnest (best known for his portrayal of Spike on “Buffy” and “Angel”), Matthew Wolf as Algernon, Sarah Zimmerman as Gwendolen, Emily Bergl as Cecily (best known for her portrayal of Annie on “Men In Trees”), Charles Busch as Lady Bracknell, Neil Dickson as Lane/Merriman, Jill Gascoine as Miss Prism, and Christopher Neame as Chausuble.
First, it should be noted that as a radio play is intended for national broadcast, it is vastly different than a theatrical play production. For one thing, there are no costumes, scenery or furniture props. Instead, there are 5 microphone stands spread out on the stage and the actors sit directly behind the microphone stands in chairs up against a wall until it is their turn to read their part. On the occasion that all of the actors are speaking at once, and as there are not enough microphones for each, the actors will share a microphone stand. Thus, to hear the roles read aloud opposed to performed takes a bit of getting used to. Instead of seeing actors wearing 18th Century period costumes looking very much like the characters they portray, instead each wears a nice suit or dress outfit. This visual discrepancy sets a very different tone and can make it hard to both visualize and reconcile what one is hearing with what one is seeing.
Accordingly, I found that by closing my eyes, I had a much easier time “seeing” the play being read aloud. I also had a greater appreciation of the perfectly nuanced elocution and accents used to create distinct personalities for the characters. As by doing so, it brought the words of the play more to life. I could truly feel the force when James Marsters’ character, Jack, bellowed with outrage at his friend Algernon’s unexpected engagement to his ward, Cecily. I felt a delightful tingling up and down my arms as Algernon cooed loving sentiments to Cecily, who he had seemingly fallen in love with at first sight. It was a sheer pleasure to hear each of the actors quip the teasing, playful words so precisely written by Oscar Wilde over a century before. The play itself focused on the story of two wealth gentlemen who adopted the name of “Earnest” to woo the women of their dreams and the comical fallout when each is discovered to not actually be named Earnest. It is a farcical play with many puns and double-entendres, which astutely skewered the upper class society and the games they played in the 1800’s when pursuing the opposite sex.
It was intriguing to see how masterfully each actor utilized their voice alone to create such vivid and charming characters. For as the saying goes, “words alone do not make a man,” and in this case, it was the rich tenor and dripping eloquence of each that helped distinguish and define their characters. It provided an astonishing two hours of pleasurable listening as we were invited to listen and enjoy the biting comedy of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest.”