Review: The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine

(photo credit: Deanna L. Palazzo)

Ernest's Hammer

by Christian Baines

@XtianBaines

If you’re going to follow the well-worn theatre trope of a disintegrating – though possibly inescapable – relationship, told through an intimate two hander, you’d better find a fairly unique way to flesh it out. The Anger In Ernest & Ernestine rises to the task fairly well, setting its terminally flawed bliss within a self-aware ‘theatre home’ and using banal familiarity to create a sense of whimsy that instantly attracts us to the rather odd central couple.

Ernest is a sweet, well-organized and slightly uptight nebbish. Ernestine is more of a free spirit, for whom a messy life is one well-lived. Writer/director, Robert Morgan (co-writing with Martha Ross and Leah Cherniak) never pretends the course of this marriage will run smooth, illustrating petty annoyances between the pair from the get go. Where, for instance, is the ideal place in the room for a tissue box? And whatever did happen to Ernest’s hammer? 

We clearly recognize all of these petty, yet painful annoyances

It all could seem a bit tedious and trivial were it not for actors Jennifer De Lucia and Daniel Stolfi, whose palpable contrasts and flair for physical comedy lift every mundane action to hysterically funny heights. No question, these are characters we’d like to kill at times, heavy on idiosyncrasy, but that’s an essential part of understanding their relationship’s eventual – possible – downfall. We clearly recognize all of these petty, yet painful annoyances from our own relationships, all delivered within a manic two acts.

The play’s main problem is its length, and to a lesser extent, pacing. For all of De Lucia and Solfi’s engaging energy, there are too many instances where the piece slows to a crawl. It’s not so much the constant opening and closing of the theatre curtain between scenes that disrupts the flow, but the momentum does suffer somewhat when either actor comes out to deliver a short narration – most particularly Ernestine’s ‘words Ernest isn’t to use in my presence.’ It’s one of a number of sequences that could have been cut to preserve the high energy that’s so tangible in the play’s opening act.

Then, there’s the ‘theatre home’ conceit. This definitely adds to the piece’s whimsical feel, but it never pays off. Why should Ernest and Ernestine be aware that they’re in a theatre, or have an audience to begin with? At one point, Ernest remarks that he doesn’t want Ernestine ‘in his audience’ – okay, he likes his private time, so why is he so willing to perform for us? The idea is certainly different, but never serves the story in any way, and the further the script gets from it, the stronger and more fluid it becomes.

Though it’s probably a one-act play dragging itself out to two, The Anger in Ernest & Ernestine still manages to deliver a fun, occasionally disturbing and joyously odd couple of hours. The comic skills of De Lucia and Stolfi alone would have justified the ticket price. As it stands, the play offers quite a bit more. Just try not to think too hard about the whole ‘theatre home’ thing.

The Anger in Ernest & Ernestine plays at Unit 102 Theatre, Dufferin St until November 24.

Read playwright Robert Morgan's piece on 25 years of his play.