THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST's Brian Bedford to be Featured on NY1 With Ben Brantley, 4/16

Brian Bedford, star and director of Roundabout Theatre Company's The Importance of Being Earnest, and The New York Times' Ben Brantley will be featured on NY1 "The New York Times Closeup" in an interview with Sam Roberts this Saturday, April 16th at 10PM on Channel 1.

NY1 "The New York Times Closeup" can also be seen on Sunday, April 17th at 10AM on Channel 1.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) is pleased to present the new Broadway production of Oscar Wilde's comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by and starring Brian Bedford as "Lady Bracknell," at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway (227 West 42nd St.).The cast also features Brian Murray as "Rev. Canon Chasuble," Jayne Houdyshell as "Miss Prism," Jessie Austrian as "Gwendolen Fairfax," Santino Fontana as "Algernon Moncrieff," David Furr as "John Worthing," Tim MacDonald as "Merriman," Paul O'Brien as "Lane," Charlotte Parry as "Cecily Cardew" and Amanda Leigh Cobb as "Servant."

The limited engagement of The Importance of Being Earnest has been extended 17-weeks through Sunday, July 3rd, 2011. It was originally scheduled to run through March 6th, 2011.

The Importance of Being Earnest is a glorious comedy of mistaken identity, which ridicules codes of propriety and etiquette. Dashing men-about-town John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff pursue fair ladies Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew. Matters are complicated by the imaginary characters invented by both men to cover their on-the-sly activities - not to mention the disapproval of Gwendolen's mother, the formidable Lady Bracknell.

Wilde's classic production premiered in 1895 at the St. James Theatre in London offering a stinging critique of love, sex and social hypocrisy that remains relevant today.

The Importance of Being Earnest will be screened in HD on cinema screens across the world, beginning June 2nd. The live performance was captured using seven HD cameras and features the original Roundabout Broadway company. For more information: www.earnesthd.com

Brian Bedford returns to Roundabout Theatre Company after memorable performances as "Orgon" in Tartuffe, "Sir Harcourt Courtly" in London Assurance and "Sganarelle" in The Molière Comedies.

TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets are available by calling Roundabout Ticket Services at (212)719-1300, online at www.roundabouttheatre.org or at the American Airlines Box Office (227 West 42nd Street).

To become a Roundabout subscriber visit www.roundabouttheatre.org or call Roundabout Ticket Services (212)719-1300. Ticket prices range from $67.00-117.00.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
The Importance of Being Earnest plays Tuesday through Saturday evening at 8:00PM with Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00PM.

Roundabout Theatre Company's current 2010-2011 season features Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, starring and directed by Brian Bedford; Tennessee Williams' The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore starring Olympia Dukakis, directed by Michael Wilson; Anything Goes starring Sutton Foster & Joel Grey, directed & choreographed by Kathleen Marshall; David West Read's The Dream of the Burning Boy, directed by Evan Cabnet; Dart, Stoller & Butler's The People in the Picture, starring Donna Murphy, directed by Leonard Foglia; Stone, Meehan & Yeston's Death Takes a Holiday, directed by Doug Hughes.

Roundabout Theatre Company's 2011-2012 will feature Bob Fosse's Dancin', directed by Graciela Daniele; Stephen Karam's Sons of the Prophet, directed by Peter DuBois; John Osborne's Look Back in Anger, directed by Sam Gold.

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