The Importance Of Being Camp

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The Tulsa theatre season is in full swing. Between the established companies, new companies and a wave of independently produced productions, shows are opening almost every weekend this fall. As an avid theatre-goer, I use these first few weeks of the season to see what’s in store artistically for the rest of the year. This past weekend, World Stage Theatre Company kicked off its eighth season—promising a year of “Timeless and Relevant Stories”—with Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, which continues through September 28. 

The play, which premiered on Valentine’s Day 1895, follows two friends, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, as they create false identities to skirt social responsibilities. The satire serves as a commentary on Victorian social norms and the institution of marriage, which makes sense coming from Wilde, who was known to have relations with men (and was criminally convicted for it in the same year the play premiered).

I felt a distinct shift as I walked from the 2nd Street lobby into the Liddy Doenges Theatre. As the bubbling Friday night chatter faded away, I found myself in an elegant drawing room: very still, very curated, complete with faint classical music in the background. When you see a show in this space, you enter the theater just feet away from the stage; I genuinely felt like I had just walked into someone’s home for a moment.

Forgoing platforms, backdrops, and levels in lieu of a set consisting of just furniture can be a risky move in the Liddy, which can feel empty if not adorned appropriately. Jason Sirois, who served as both director and set designer, did a remarkable job curating a collection of complimentary furniture, rugs, partitions and props that created a believable, aesthetically pleasing backdrop with height and depth. The play takes us to two additional locations—a garden and a second drawing room filled with plants—arranged with equal intention and precision. I wish I had this level of interior decorating knowledge available at my own house. 

This decadence extends to other areas of the production, like Pax Zeller’s uppercrust Victorian costumes. I’d never thought to pair dark periwinkle and mint green for an outfit, but I couldn’t look away from it. It was easy to see how the costumes reflected each character’s inner journey. For example, when in the city, and pretending to be another man, Damien Hartzell (in the role of Jack Worthing) is dressed almost entirely in black. But, when the play shifts locations to the country, where Jack does not lie about his identity, his clothes become more colorful. These costumes’ visual boldness emboldens the performances. The choice to play classical covers of pop music before the show and during both intermissions feels pointed, too. While some may roll their eyes at songs like these, I think a string quartet cover of “Uptown Funk” and “Bad Romance” is exactly Wilde’s brand of camp.