Celebrated Scottish actor and comedian Karen Dunbar has been announced as Lady Bracknell in the upcoming Perth Theatre production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.
She will be stepping into some famous shoes as the iconic comedy character, who utters the famous line “A handbag?”, has been played by such diverse talents as Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, Geoffrey Rush and David Suchet!
Karen is best known for TV classics including Chewin’ the Fat, The Karen Dunbar Show, River City and Rab C. Nesbitt. She recently completed a run as God in Still Game in SSE Hydro! She has played a wide variety of stage roles from Shakespeare to stand up, as well as regular panto appearances in Glasgow’s Kings Theatre.
Commenting on her potential take on the role, Karen said:
“I’m really looking forward to appearing in The Importance of Being Earnest in Perth this March. It’s such a classic play: funny, smart, timeless and very relevant, especially in times like these. So far, I’m pitching my Lady Bracknell somewhere between Mary Berry and Ena Sharples. We’ll see what comes oot!”
Lu Kemp, artistic director for Perth Theatre, who will be directing The Importance of Being Earnest said:
“It is a complete joy to be working with a comedy icon like Karen on one of British theatre’s most recognisable comic characters. I can’t wait to see what she brings to a Scottish Lady Bracknell! We’ve got a great cast lined up for this Perth Theatre production and our audiences can expect fun and laughter all the way in Oscar Wilde’s timeless “trivial comedy for serious people”!”
Grant O’Rourke will play Algernon, Amy Kennedy plays Cecily, Caroline Deyga is Gwendolin and Daniel Cahill plays Jack.
Supported by Bright Spirits, with match funding from Culture and Business Fund Scotland, The Importance of Being Earnest runs in Perth Theatre from Thursday 5 until Saturday 21 March.
Tuesday 21 January 2020