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THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST PART DEUX: THOROUGHLY STUPID THINGS An uproarious critically acclaimed sequel to Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. We find Gwendolen and Cecily miserably ensconced in happy marriages to Jack and Algernon, but upon beginning to suspect their husbands of having extra-marital affairs, they set-off to spy on them in the guise of brother-attorneys Earnest and Earnest by joining their men’s club, The Rhymers of Eldridge. Once there, they meet the beautiful Bibi LaFlam, a lounge singer they suspect is the seducer of their husbands and Inspector Franco Reynier, a french detective in search of "two criminals wearing disguises," after a series of miscommunications find our husbands inviting our lady infiltrators, the lounge singer and French detective back to their home to meet their very faithful wives, setting the scene for a uproarious final act, critics praised: “Thoroughly Stupid Things, a sequel to Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, is a comic masterwork.” - Leonard Jacobs - Backstage Winner of the 2008 Best Playwrighting Award at the New York International Fringe Festival. HISTORY:
Directed by Megan Demarest
Directed by Meghan Demarest.
Directed by Megan Demarest Excellence in Playwriting Award
Jeremy Handelman - Off-The Leash Productions
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REVIEWS:
“A Comic Masterwork… A veritable monsoon of precisely executed comedy demonstrated by a most-polished cast. Each actor superbly draws every drop of amusement from Mendez’s script, with its matchless gift for literary allusion, I hardly expected thoroughly stupid to be so bright.” Leonard Jacobs- Backstage “The ending of the play, which nods a midsummer night’s dream, even has a touch of somber note – marking the reality of the world which confounds us. Making such a touching and poignant ending was a brave and successful choice, hilarious, and ridiculous evening. Now that’s what theatre is!” Andrew Bellware – Braidwood Films “Thoroughly Stupid things is the best play I’ve seen at the Fringe!” Lingual Tremors – Blog “Rapid-fire writing replete with riotous wordplay, a fun, clever night of theatre.” Nytheatre.com “**** (four stars) Montserrat Mendez’s follow-up to Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is the rare sequel that doesn’t disappoint. The upper classes remain frivolous and atwitter as Mendez picks up Wilde’s story. The endearing Gwendolen (Emma Gordon) and Cecily (Amy Forney) suspect their husbands are having affairs – so, as any good wife would do, they disguise themselves as men and spy on their spouses at a gentlemen’s club, slipping in and out of their false identities to choruses of laughter from the audience. Mendez’s script weaves a lattice of clover wordplay and has great fun blowing up and rebuilding the fourth wall. Barely pausing to inhale, the fine cast reels off Mendez’s verbiage with aplomb, in accents whose tongue-in-cheek snootiness is perfectly matched by the wry smile that Mendez flashes at Wilde.” Ashley Hoffman – Time Out |
