The play by "Théâtre en anglais"

mercredi 8 février 2017
par MmesS

Here are the characters :

-  GIF - 23.7 ko Gwendolen (also Rv Chasuble)

-  GIF - 28.5 ko Jack Worthing

-  GIF - 25.8 ko Algernon Moncrieff (also Miss Prism)

-  GIF - 37.8 ko Cecily Cardew

-  GIF - 32.3 ko Lady Bracknell

- Lane

Algernon’s servant (altered to be a poorly paid female servant in our version) "I have often observed that in married households the champagne is rarely of a first rate brand."

- Algernon Moncrieff (Algy)

a young unmarried man, best friend of Jack, cousin to Gwendolen and nephew to Lady Bracknell. Although Algy comes from a "good" family, he has apparently many debts. (Remember that Lady Bracknell married Lord Bracknell for his money. Her side of the family has a good name but not much money. Algy is eligible because he is upper class and attractive. He clearly enjoys himself).

"I really don’t see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncertainty. If ever I get married, I’ll certainly try to forget the fact."

- John Worthing (Jack)

the play’s hero, was discovered as a baby in a handbag on Victoria Station and adopted by a wealthy benefactor, Sir Thomas Cardew. Sir Thomas later made Jack the guardian of his own young daughter, Cecily. Jack seems a respectable serious young man when staying at his country house, but Jack leads a double life by going to London under the name of Ernest. (Note : to be able to excuse himself from the country he pretends he has a brother called Ernest)

"When one is in town one amuses oneself. When one is in the country one amuses other people. It is excessively boring."

- Lady Bracknell

mother to Gwendolen, aunt to Algernon, Lady Bracknell seems an aristocratic snob ! (But you can decide how much she sympathises or not with the situation the two young couples find themselves in. She was young once. But she also needs Algy to make a ’good’ match - for money).

". to be born, or at any rate bred, in a hand-bag, whether it had handles or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life that reminds one of the worst excesses of the French Revolution. It can hardly be regarded as an assured basis for a recognised position in good society."

- Gwendolen Fairfax

wealthy and aristocratic, Gwendolen is a sophisticated, fashionable and pretentious young lady. She is in love with Ernest (Jack) Worthing and his delightful name.

"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train."

- Cecily Cardew

Jack’s young ward, Cecily, 18, has been brought up in the countryside. Lively and frank, she has a vivid imagination and romantic nature. She is in love with "Ernest", Jack’s imaginary wicked younger brother, and falls in love with Algernon, believing him to be this very Ernest. When Cecily comes of age she will inherit her deceased father’s considerable fortune, to become a very wealthy lady.

"I think that whenever one has anything unpleasant to say, one should always be quite candid."

- Miss Prism

Cecily’s nervous and pedantic governess, who many years before accidentally "lost" the baby that was to become Jack Worthing. She is secretly in love with Reverend Chasuble.

"In a moment of mental abstraction, for which I never can forgive myself, I deposited the manuscript in the basinette, and placed the baby in the hand-bag."

- Reverend Chasuble

the vicar on Jack’s country estate. Both young men will turn to him to be christened by the name of Ernest. Reverend Chasuble is secretly in love with Miss Prism.

"Were I fortunate enough to be Miss Prism’s pupil, I would hang upon her lips"

- Merriman

the butler at Jack’s country house

"Mr. Ernest Worthing has just driven over from the station. He has brought his luggage with him."