‘The Importance of Being Earnest: A Wilde New Musical’ at American Coast Theater
- OC Theatre Guild
- May 16
- 5 min read
Updated: May 27
The Costa Mesa company will stage the Orange County premiere of the 2021 musical version of Oscar Wilde’s 1895 comedy.
By Eric Marchese
Since it premiered in 1895, Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” has remained one of the most popular, most famous and most successful of all plays.
It’s a staple of theatre worldwide and has been adapted into multiple film versions. It has even been musicalized more than once.
What’s that, you say? Musical versions of Wilde’s classic?
Yes, the first of which was nearly a century ago, a 1927 stage musical, “Oh Earnest,” written and staged here in the U.S. The year 1957 brought the British adaptation “Half in Earnest” and 1964, Gerd Natchinski’s musical “Mein Freund Bunbury” (“My Friend Bunbury”).
For our century (late 2011), we’ve gotten yet another new show in England, with a book by Douglas Livingstone and a score by Adam McGuiness and Zia Moranne.
Now, the Lyceum Theater on the campus of Vanguard University in Costa Mesa will be the site of American Coast Theater’s production of “The Importance of Being Earnest: A Wilde New Musical.” With music by Bret Simmons and book and lyrics by David Howard, the 2021 show is directed by ACTC’s founder, Susan Berkompas, and marks its Orange County premiere.
How Music Changes Wilde’s Original
Berkompas started by saying this “Wilde New Musical” “takes Wilde’s mistaken identities, sudden engagements, and outrageous coincidences and layers music into the story, thus heightening all the fun! It satirizes and pokes fun at the hypocrisy and artificiality of the upper class, exposing the trivial concerns and absurdities of Victorian society. It is a true comedy of manners and airs.”
She notes that the title “serves as a playful and ironic commentary on the values of honesty and sincerity,” offering “a modern translation,” which she says means “a bunch of fake and two-faced people.”
Berkompas culled this statement “from Wilde’s original work and have seen how far we can push this dichotomy of artificiality and airs versus how the characters really feel about situations and the people they don’t like.”
While “the book is wonderfully adapted from Wilde’s original play,” Berkompas says, “the show’s songs don’t always move the plot forward – but many of the songs enhance the true inner emotions and points of view of the characters, thus heightening and giving specificity to the characters’ inner selves.”
All the songs, Berkompas notes, “point to the running themes of artificiality versus sincerity and the ‘shallow mask of manners.’ The music elevates the satire and allows each character to have even more humor and subtextual moments with biting and cynical wit.”
She said one of the most significant songs “is ‘Victoria Euphoria,’ the opening song which sets up the story and this world of Victorian attitude. ‘Bunburrying’ is also a key to the plot points for Algernon and Jack, the two male lead characters, and ‘Swept Away’ is a beautiful ballad that shows a rare moment of sincerity and characters on the cusp of love. At the heart of it all, the show is also a heartwarming romance.”
Themes And Concepts
Berkompas said that “some years ago,” she directed the original play with a steampunk concept, “It was so much fun! It has become one of my favorite classic comedies of all time. I knew that I had to direct the musical version. Having Bret Simmons present at some of the rehearsals has been a blast!”
“These writers are thoughtful, generous, open-- true artists who love to have fun with their music and these characters! I love the fact that the material is not overly ‘precious’ in their sight, that if I want to direct a montage element of storytelling, they just become super-excited about how elements of the story can be reimagined. I love working with writers in this capacity.”
Wilde’s work, she says, “continues to be relevant in today’s social media culture. We don’t always see the truth and, in fact, very rarely do we see what is actually going on in a person’s life, and there can still be the ‘shallow mask of manners’ and pretense-- not only in the very wealthy of circles but also within the social media influencer and celebrity constructs. Truth becomes subjective, and as humans, we tend to only show people what we want them to see.”
What Audiences Will See
Berkompas said that “prior to our Orange County premiere, there have been two productions in the region-- one at Torrance Theatre Company and one at Whittier Center Theatre.” She saw the latter and “was excited about putting our own spin on this delightful piece.”
Berkompas said the most enjoyable aspect of directing the show has “been working with a wonderfully professional cast who are always up for anything from their director! They have been such a joy. They are so coachable and so ready to deliver great work.
ACTC’s production stars Elijah Munck as Jack Worthing, Scott Roberts as Algernon Moncrief, Rachel Williams as Gwendolyn Fairfax, Dyan Hobday-Smith as Lady Bracknell, Kristin Cortines as Cecily Cardew, Alyssa Kammerer as Miss Prism, Josiah Dominguez as Dr. Chasuble, and Pierre Ekladios as Lane and Merriman.
From the piano, music director Jared Scott leads onstage band members Richard Guzman (string bass), David Page (drums), Ray Reinbach (violin), and Natalie Suvarnasuddhi (swing reed).
Berkompas, who also serves as ACTC’s artistic producing director, is directing the show with associate director Sasha Stewart and co-choreographing it with Hannah Simmons, daughter of the show's composer, Bret Simmons.
Designers include James Huffman (scenic designer and audio supervisor), Lia Hansen (costumes), and Garrett Spady (lighting). ACTC’s production crew features Jim Huffman (technical director), Montana Leyva (stage manager), Shekinah Rainwater (assistant stage manager), Nadia McGill (green room manager), Bethany Thomas (costume crew), Arabella Chrastina (light board operator), Amanda Fagan and Kaitlynn Ponton (lighting technicians and spotlight operators), Jaden Massaro (sound technician), Taylor Estrada (sound assistant), Bethany Thomas & Kaitlynn Ponton (head ushers), and Jenna Bolar (Box Office).
The production staff includes Montana Leyva (company manager), Lily Hinojosa (theatre manager), Megan Thompson (assistant theatre manager), Linda Isabela Rendon (house manager), and Amanda Fagan and Arabella Chrastina (marketing assistants).
Eric Marchese has written about numerous subjects for more than 40 years as a freelance and staff journalist at a wide variety of publications, but is best known as a critic, feature writer and news reporter covering theatre and the arts throughout Orange County and beyond.
‘The Importance of Being Earnest, the Musical’
American Coast Theater Company
Lyceum Theater
55 Fair Dr, Costa Mesa, CA
May 23 - June 8, 2025
(714) 668-6145, www.AmericanCoastTheater.com
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