Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Assumed Identities

Imaginary friends are common among children. If fictional personae manifest in adulthood, however, the stakes are different. The main characters in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest assume varying degrees of alter egos, which are realized within the play’s comedic content and witty banter — much of which coyly satirizes the social conventions of London’s Victorian era. Carol Dunne directs Northern Stage’s production of Wilde’s most famous work, with Brough Hansen as Jack in the country and Ernest in the city. When the protagonist’s double life becomes too difficult to maintain, a complex series of events proves that truth is indeed stranger than fiction.