BMC to Perform The Importance of Being Earnest

In just five days, BMC’s spring production of The Importance of Being Earnest will debut. On February 27, get ready for romance, identity confusion, and of course, muffins! This whimsical play by Oscar Wilde is set in England during the Victorian Era. It follows the adventures of Algernon and Jack, two young men whose romantic endeavors are frustrated by various circumstances. Gwendolyn and Cecily are being courted by these two rapscallions under false pseudonyms, as both of them are safeguarding their hearts, only willing to relinquish them to men by the name of ‘Earnest.’

Isaiah Battle, a fine arts major, will be playing the lead role of Jack. He has previously starred in BMC’s fall production of Oklahoma where he blew the audience away with his lively performance. Joey Ellis, playing Algernon, is also a fine arts major and this is old hat for him by now, as he has performed in many of BMC’s plays. Sharissa Smith is excited to get out on stage as Cecily Cardew, having previously only worked back stage on many of our spring and fall productions. Finally, Jamie Henderson will be playing Gwendolyn, a role she is greatly excited to portray.

I was able to track down a few of the cast members recently and ask them about their experiences so far in tirelessly rehearsing and getting ready to put on this play for us. Joey Ellis said that what he liked most about his role was Algernon’s devil-may-care attitude. “I love that Algernon is carefree. He wants what he wants and he’s going to get it. He’s kind of got a silver tongue, and he’s just a really fun character.”

Sharissa Smith also enjoys her character for the challenge of it. “She’s very romantic and imaginative. She’s not like me, and I think it’s fun to try to be someone so vastly different from me.”

One of the most impassioned responses to my questions came from Jamie Henderson. When asked what her favorite part of doing the play has been, she exclaimed firmly and with a gleeful laugh, “I like the accents and the outfits!”

Whether you’re interested in romance, comedy, muffins, or “accents and outfits,” you can find no better way to pass your time than to come out and support all the talented and hardworking cast of this spring’s production. There will be a lot of laughs and plot twists; no one can fail to have a good time.

Times of performances are: Wed. Feb 27th at 10:00 am, Thu. Feb 28th at 7:30 pm, Fri. Mar 1st at 7:30 pm, and Sat. Mar 2nd at 7:30 pm .

All BMC students get into one showing free, but everyone else can purchase a ticket on the school website.