Production History

Directed by Doobie Potter, this five-day engagement was presented November 17–21, 1999, through Stage Center Presents. The production starred Lee Meriwether, Miss America 1955 and television actor associated with Barnaby Jones, as Lady Bracknell. Wilde’s comedy follows two bachelors whose invented identities complicate their courtships. Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff discover that romance, family pedigree and the name Ernest carry unexpected importance within their carefully regulated social world.

CST Connections

The engagement followed CST’s Season 15 presentation of I Hate Hamlet with William Katt. Both celebrity appearances were recalled in the Gazette’s 25th-anniversary retrospective. okgazette.com
Suzanne Charney subsequently played Mag Folan in The Beauty Queen of Leenane (2001) and Mammy in The Cripple of Inishmaan (2004).
James Tyra previously played Greg in Sylvia (1997) and Geoffrey in Six Degrees of Separation (1999).
Scott Meek appeared as Doug in Six Degrees of Separation and later played Tom Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie (2002).
Elizabeth Brooks, credited here as Meriwether’s stand-in, played Mary Tilford in The Children’s Hour (1990).

Press and Photography

The Oklahoman, November 14, 1999: “Lee Meriwether Earnest About Acting”
The Oklahoman, November 18, 1999: “Comedic Moments Shine Through Tedium of ‘Earnest’”
Oklahoma Gazette, September 4, 2008: “Critic Looks Back at Carpenter Square Theatre’s 25 Years”

Acknowledgments

Pollard Theatre; Oklahoma Children’s Theatre; Spivey’s Big Antique Store; Gary and Fran Derrick; Sadri Persian and Oriental Rugs; Canterbury British Importers and Cafe; Lowe’s; Suzanne Charney; Linda Clark; UCO; Adrian Thompson; Phil Carlton; Don Lusk; Robert Erwin; Belle Isle Antiques; Pier 1; Hobby Lobby; Nick Backes; Marcellus Hankins; Viginia Morozuk; Theatrical Hair Goods Company; Tuxedo Specialists.

Licensing

The original CST acknowledgment credits Samuel French, Inc.

THEATRE UP CLOSE & PERSONAL

Renee Krapff