MTC Invites The Public To Celebrate NYE with The Importance of Being Earnest

Begin 2012 in decadent fashion as Lord and Lady Bracknell invite you to join them for the ultimate New Year's Eve event at the MTC Theatre, Sumner.

Dress up, enjoy a glass of bubbly, canapés and treats, and laugh the evening away at our performance of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, featuring Academy Award-winning actor Geoffrey Rush as the indomitable Lady Bracknell. Then put on your dancing shoes as a sizzling swing band, Kimba and the Gin Remedy, rings in the New Year as you celebrate with friends, family and some of the cast. Don't miss one of the last opportunities to get tickets in this popular season.

This exclusive black-tie event includes:
• A ticket and programme for the 31 December performance of The Importance of Being Earnest
• Montara wines, White Rabbit beers and soft-drinks
• Delicious canapés, a choc top at interval and a Chandon champagne toast to welcome in 2012
• Live music from Melbourne's own sensational swing band, Kimba and the Gin Remedy

‘For my swan song at MTC - at least as its Artistic Director - I'm determined to go out joyfully (and perhaps a little sentimentally). Some of you may remember my 1988 production of Wilde's dazzling masterpiece. Thanks to an astonishing cast and an exquisite design, it ran for over a year, touring the entire country. Although it was one of the happiest experiences of my career, I can't think about it now without some sadness. Ruth Cracknell, Monica Maughan, Frank Thring and Gordon Chater, all astonishing in the original, are no longer with us. But Jane Menelaus and Geoffrey Rush, who played the handbag-crossed lovers Gwendolyn and Jack, are in their artistic prime and will step up a generation to play Miss Prism and Lady Bracknell respectively. The roles they vacated will be taken by bright new things Christie Whelan and Toby Schmitz, while Bob Hornery, Canon Chasuble in the original, will play the two butlers originated by Frank Thring,' said MTC Artistic Director Simon Phillips.

The plot is simplicity itself. In the city, Jack pretends to be Ernest, his non-existent brother, in order to woo Gwendolyn, Algy's cousin. In the country, Algy pretends to be Jack's brother, Ernest, in order to woo Cecily, Jack's ward. Jack returns to the country mourning Ernest's ‘death' only to find Ernest (Algy) very much alive...Frolicking in the original Aubrey Beardsley inspired book set designed by the late Tony Tripp, The Importance of Being Earnest is a superb comedy of manners.

Director Simon Phillips
Original Set and Costume Designer Tony Tripp
Set Realiser Richard Roberts
Costume Realiser Tracy Grant Lord
Lighting Designer Matt Scott
Assistant Director Daniel Clarke

Cast: Emily Barclay (Cecily Cardew), Patrick Brammall (Algernon Moncrieff), Bob Hornery (Merriman, Lane), Jane Menelaus (Miss Prism), Geoffrey Rush (Lady Bracknell), Toby Schmitz (John Worthing, J.P), Tony Taylor (Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D.), Christie Whelan (Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax)

The Importance of Being Earnest New Year Eve celebrations
Venue: The MTC Theatre, Sumner
Date: Saturday 31 December 2011
Time: Function starts at 7pm -Performance starts at 8:30pm
Finish: Sunday 1 January 2012, 1am
Dress code: Black Tie/Cocktail
Ticket price: $285 plus booking fees
Booking details: The MTC Theatre Box Office 03 8688 0800 or mtc.com.au

MTC Season 2012 Subscription Packages are now on sale at mtc.com.au