A tale told often, but this time with a dazzling, colourful twist
 

How does one imbue newness into a play that happens to be one of the most enduring works in theatre's canon? Director Alistair Newton has set out to do just that with a fresh lens on Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy. True to Wilde’s passion for aestheticism, the Grand Theatre’s design-forward production will be stunningly colour-blocked with each act unveiling itself as vividly monochromatic – act one in green, act two in yellow, and finally, act three in red.

Newton has also introduced an exciting new role to the play – Lady Stella Clinton, the 19th-century queer trailblazer who performed in drag as Stella Star of the Strand and also prevailed in the trial of the century after being arrested for wearing women’s clothes. Lady Stella will delight audiences with a pair of musical numbers by Gilbert and Sullivan that have been added to the show.

With the show’s innovative design, spectacular wit, and the addition of song, dance, and drag, this London Made production of The Importance of Being Earnest highlights the underlying queer code that exists throughout Wilde’s masterpiece.  Even small production details have hidden meanings, from the costumes to the dialogue, the lighting to the colours.

On the Grand’s stage, colour will be a character in itself. “The green of Act One comes from the code of the dyed carnation flowers which Wilde and his set wore on their lapels to identify one another,” reveals Newton. “The yellow of Act Two is the same hue as the covers of ‘decadent’ French literature of the period, as well as of the Yellow Book, a publication of the Aesthetic Movement. The red of Act Three is taken from Wilde’s vermillion office at his family’s London home on Tite Street; a blast of shocking, subversive colour amidst an otherwise tastefully minimal, and mostly white, interior.”

To capture the extravagance of Oscar Wilde’s world, the Grand Theatre Wardrobe team has spent months bringing to life the stylized, exaggerated, and abstracted designs by Judith Bowden.

“I don't even know if we could count how many pleats there are in the studio right now,” laughs Bowden. “We’re creating architecture, creating silhouettes. The look will be operatic through the nature of colour-on-colour and the extremeness of the silhouette, how much space each character takes up on the stage, and how they armour themselves through fashion and design. When a character is aggrandizing themselves, reaching for status, you’ll see more silk, more volume. Leisure wear so formal you can barely sit. Everything is overly tailored, overly considered, and with an intensity.”

Wilde was closely tied to the Aesthetic Movement, an artistic revolution that emphasized the value of “art for art’s sake.” This dedication to beauty over functionality is mirrored in Newton’s stunning vision for this production and will leave audiences revelling in unforgettable visuals amongst guaranteed laughs.

The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by Alistair Newton, will run from March 24 until April 12 on the Spriet Stage at the Grand Theatre. Tickets range from $25 to $97 and are available at www.grandtheatre.com, by phone at 519-672-8800, or at the Box Office, 471 Richmond Street.

The Grand Theatre is grateful to offer Canada Life Pay What You Can pricing, presented on Sunday, March 29 at 2:00 p.m.

 
Header Photo: Billy Lake as Lady Stella Clinton. Costume design by Judith Bowden. Photography by Mai Tilson.