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‘Importance of Being Earnest’ Earns Extended Run Through July 3

Lady Bracknell would certainly approve of this announcement. ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is going to continue to be on

stage for an additional 17 weeks, according to the Roundabout Theater Company. This comes on the heels of rave critical

reviews for the show, which is directed by Brian Bedford, who also plays the role of Lady Bracknell. This character is a

British enforcer of style and rules.

This version of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ got its start at Canada’s Stratford Shakespeare Festival in 2009. The first

run was set to end after 11 weeks at the American Airlines Theater on March 6, but critical acclaim has meant that box office

returns were up and the musical is also in line for Tony Award nominations. In a single week, the play has made $356,833,

which represents a 25% rise in profits over the week before. This increase appears to be as a result of the critics’ reviews.

Because of the 17 week extension, Roundabout indicated that the musical that was intended to follow ‘Earnest,’ titled ‘The

People in the Picture,’ will now begin its run at Studio 54, which is also owned by Roundabout. ‘The People in the Picture’

is directed by Leonard Foglia and stars Donna Murphy. It will not push back its date for previews, which will be on April 1,

or its opening night, which will be on April 28. Anyone who has tickets for this production will receive replacement tickets

for the same dates at the new venue.

This will be the first production at Studio 54 since the closing of Kneehigh Theater (yet another Roundabout production that

was very successful) earlier this month.