Review: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at Portland Center Stage

Kamilah Bush's new adaptation of Oscar Wilde's beloved comedy THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST transplants the action to 1919, creating a world that mirrors contemporary D.C.'s obsession with wealth, identity, and reputation as social currency. 

In case you haven’t seen Wilde’s original (or haven’t seen it in a while), THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST follows two bachelors – Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff – who create fictitious personas to escape social obligations. This leads to confusion when both men court women who believe they’re in love with someone named “Earnest.” It’s a low-stakes but highly entertaining farce featuring mistaken identities, lost handbags, and the importance of having the right name.

The play is inherently queer-coded. As dramaturg Taylor Barfield notes in the program, "Earnest" served as Victorian slang for gay men seeking connection, and the original script was layered with coded language for "his audience who knew what to listen for." Bush's adaptation brings this aspect front and center, transforming Wilde's famous playboys into explicitly queer characters and abandoning Victorian subtlety for unabashed celebration of queer identity.

Visually, the production is a triumph. Jean Kim's vibrant and evolving set design and Camilla Dely's colorful costumes create a genuine feast for the eyes, establishing the world's playful energy from the first moment. The first scene, in which the servant Lane (Darius Pierce) literally sets the stage, is a charming, fourth-wall-breaking signal that we should not take any of what’s to come too seriously.

The supporting cast delivers the evening's strongest performances. Maria Porter commands the stage as Lady Augusta Bracknell, bringing fierce determination to her quest for the perfect match for her daughter, Gwendolen, and Darius Pierce finds fresh comedy in roles typically treated as mere plot devices. Despite the talent on display, however, the central relationships lack spark, no matter how they’re paired. The production's commitment to farcical extremes undermines the authentic human connections necessary to even the most absurd comedy.

The show succeeds in delivering Wilde's signature wit alongside a valuable message about moral hypocrisy — those quickest to judge others often conceal the most scandalous secrets. And Bush's adaptation thoughtfully examines who holds the power to define social rules around propriety and desire. Yet the relentless pursuit of silliness prevents the production from achieving the depth its ambitious concept deserves.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST runs through June 29. Details and tickets here.

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