Oscar Wilde’s timeless classic opens at Reps

It was written and staged for the first time in 1895, but its witty dialogue and exceptional observations of the class it seeks to poke fun at have given it continued meaning and relevance, even more than a century later. The play is a set book in schools this year and one of the reasons for staging it is to given students a chance to see the story brought to life.
The play is directed by Zane E Lucas, who has had a strong of successes in the past few years and whose most recent production was another classic, Noel Coward’s Hay Fever. Although many of Lucas’ productions are staged in Reps’ Theatre Upstairs, The Importance Of Being Earnest is being hosted on the Reps Main Stage and it is hoped a good turnout by audiences will justify the move to the larger auditorium.
The cast includes some of Harare’s finest and best-known actors – Kevin Hanssen, Jason Linforth, Anne Fischer, Jamie McLaren, Erin Cooper and Richard Sticklen, as well as two newcomers to the Reps stage, Leila Billing and Rudi Basson.
It runs from today until Saturday, with matinee performances this Saturday.
As is always the case with productions by Lucas, there is attention to detail on all fronts and imaginative use of sets, costumes and stage movement to complement what is generally regarded as one of the most brilliant scripts to have emanated from on of Ireland’s most famous playwrights.