A philosopher once called theatre “the mask of convention over the face of society in the mirror of the unknown reflecting the rear-view of the sports car of destiny.” Simplify this theory with today’s theatrical Groupon: for $16, you get one ticket to The Importance of Being Earnest (a $33 value including processing fee) performed in the round at the Wagon Wheel Theatre in Warsaw. There is no pre-assigned seating; just bring your Groupon to the box office before or on the day of the play. Choose from the following four showtimes:

• Saturday, August 7, at 8 p.m.
• Wednesday, August 11, at 8 p.m.
• Friday, August 13, at 8 p.m.
• Saturday, August 14, at 8 p.m.

The Wagon Wheel Theatre is situated in the round, with 10 rows of seats surrounding a center stage like ripples on the pond of life. Because of this seating arrangement, the last row in the theatre is only 10 rows away from the action, and actors play to all 360 degrees of onlookers. Celebrating its 55th year, the theatre has come a long way from its tent structure in the 1950s, which is still the favored arena for Elvis impersonators, snake charmers, and rogue circus elephants performing experimental one-man plays.

Full of wit and deception, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is a classic stage farce and satire of upper-class life. Within its acts, two comely ladies fall for a pair of best friends, both named Ernest, who have created double lives for themselves, unbeknownst to each other. Through this comedy of errors, erroneous affections, and duplicitous class affect, the two gentlemen attempt to escape their unpleasant social obligations. The task, of course, proves to be more onerous than eating the remainder of the smoked salmon cream cheese long after the last bagel is devoured, and therein lies the entertainment.

Reviews

Wagon Wheel Theatre does not yet have many reviews, but three ArtsEverywhere users gave it an average rating of 4.5 stars:

• The cast is fabulous. – Anonymous
• A wonderful night out… – Barb Franklin