The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Directed by Richard Sodders

Oscar Wilde's comedic masterpiece satirizes English society in the late Victorian era.  The plot follows the exploits of two wealthy young men who pretend their names are Ernest in order to impress their beloveds.  One, Jack Worthing, is a foundling and cannot marry his love until he produces an acceptable parent.  His future mother-in-law, Lady Bracknell, tells him, "To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness."  Audiences have loved this play since it opened in 1895, and many critics consider it the wittiest play in the English language.