The Importance of Being Earnest: Westovians going '˜Wilde' over latest production

The South Tyneside Theatre Society is staging classic comedy The Importance of Being Earnest next week.

The show, which runs at the Westovian Theatre in Pier Parade, South Shields, was written by Oscar Wilde and originally performed in 1895.

It’s a story of misleading lies and mistaken identity that sees main character Jack masquerade as his fictional younger brother Ernest.

Director Jim Barton says the cast is enjoying putting the show together.

He said: “The rehearsals are going really well and we’ve got a very strong cast.

“They’ve been experimenting with different ways of doing things and the show is full of big characters.

“We’re calling what we do a contemporary classic. We’ve kept the script exactly as it is but in terms of the set, we’ve kept it really minimal.

“It’s not as static as it could be too, we’ve made it into a bit more of a fast-paced comedy.

“The cast is absolutely loving working on it.

“It’s not often you get to do a classic comedy like this one so they all jumped at the chance to do it and they’re putting their all into it.”

He added: “The story is more of a love square than a love triangle and it’s a really fun show to watch.

“It’s a really nice comedy that goes around the houses but is lovely in the end.”

Oscar Wilde lived from 1854 to 1900 and was an Irish playwright, novelist, essayist and poet.

He is also well known for his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.

The show runs from Monday, March 14 to Saturday, March 19, at 7.30pm each night.

Tickets cost £6.50 on Monday and Tuesday 
and £7.50 for the rest of the week.

l Tickets are available at the Visitor Information Centre within Haven Point, in Pier Parade, South Shields, until Saturday, March 13.

Alternatively, call the box office on 0191 456 0980 to book in advance.