Dinner and a book is supported by the Rex and Alice A. Martin Foundation of Elkhart, celebrating the spirit of Alice Martin and her love of good food and good friends.

You I'm April in here with dinner and a book.

And by here I mean in the gorgeous main Hall of Copshaholm the Oliver Mansion here in South Bend, part of the history museum.

We're here, because of the connection to 1890, I'm here with Aaron Nichols, executive director of the South Bend Civic Theater.

Aaron, what are we doing in this beautiful space?

Well, we're we're talking about a bit of a serendipitous alignment that was happening the same time that Oscar Wilde was writing The Importance of Being Earnest.

And when it premiered, it was about within the same 12 month period that Cobb Home actually opened, that it was built and finally opened to the family.

So I think that that is just a wonderful way to connect these two things, to bring us into our our episode today.

And I do want to thank the History Museum, because this is just such a gem in our community, and I hope you'll come visit them as well.

South bend is full of these kind of things, and we're so happy to be part of it.

And your beautiful costume, tell us a little bit about that.

Yeah.

So brought to us by the Cassady Costume Collection.

They really know how to outfit people, so we're really grateful to them for making us look so Gilded Age, late Victorian fantastic.

So why don't you read a small section so people can know a little bit what to expect?

Right.

So this is our book.

And you'll hear a little bit about the title The Importance of Being Earnest from Dear Gwendolyn, who says that it is the most important name for a man to have.

She says, Jack, there's very little music in the name, Jack, if any at all.

Indeed, it does not thrill.

It produces absolutely no vibration.

I've known several Jacks, and they are all without exception, more than usually plain.

Besides, Jack is a notorious domesticity for John, and I pity any woman who is married to a John.

She would probably never be allowed to know the entrancing pleasure of a single moment.

Solitude.

No.

The only really safe name is Ernest.

Very well done.

And this will be an exquisite reading.

And an exquisite high tea.

No, not high to cream tea that will be make you want to be making the most appropriate thing for that 1895 1896 period.

We are going to Victorian times and we are going back to the studio.

Baby.

All right.

What are we getting started with?

Oh.

I'm excited.

We're going to making some cucumber sandwiches, which are actually name checked in the importance of being Earnest.

So that was very appropriate.

And also something called a Victoria sponge triumph.

And I'm going to be, making some English cheddar scones and then later some crumpets.

So what are you, how are you getting started here?

Well, I'm going to get rid of this because we're indoors, but, and, let me get a little quote here.

If I am occasionally overdressed, I make up for it by being always immensely overeducated.

Ha!

So here we go.

One of a simple dish, the cucumber sandwich.

We are trying first to butter, and we are using unsalted butter.

That is appropriate.

And with that unsalted butter you're going to spread on both pieces of the toast.

Not just the top or bottom, but both the top and the bottom.

And we're doing that before we cut off the edges.

That is also something we want to do.

So they must be crusty.

The Victorian age was much, much like the uncomfortable children we have in modern society.

So we are doing that so you can see a light layer of butter on both sides of the bread.

And in order to complete your sandwich, which we are almost done.

It is that simple.

We are taking an English cucumber, not a not another type of cucumber because we are in a British society.

So one thing I learned from my family, which may not be a British tradition, but it's certainly a Nichols tradition, is when you chop off the tip of your cucumber, you must circle like this, and that keeps it from being bitter.

I call that Schrodinger's cucumber because you cannot know if it actually worked or not.

It can't, but you do it nonetheless.

So you are going to peel your cucumber so you do not have those rough, nasty edges for your delicate society.

Tea.

So we're going to peel the cucumber all the way.

I'm just going to do half of it right now.

But then you're going to slice into what they say, a paper thin or wafer thin slices?

Wafer thin.

If you do like the Monty Python.

And those slices will then be layered on the buttered bread.

We're going to add one more fancy element in mint, which was harvested fresh from April's Garden Gardens.

Also figure in this in the, and those wafer thin, strips of cucumber will then be layered on the bread.

So just kind of delicately layer, they say probably two slices thick.

And so I'm going to continue doing that.

Once those layers are finished, we will add a little bit of minced mint, which is fun to say quickly minced mint.

I will be doing that now.

While you're doing that, I'll just talk about briefly about a little the base of these scones.

Of course, many scones are sweet.

These are made with English cheddar.

They really spice up a meal if you just, you know, if you're, you have a sad meal of soup and you want something that's going to be more cheering.

These are really good.

So pretty pretty basics scones with some flour, salt a little bit of baking powder some cheddar English cheddar.

And then I'm going to rub in the butter and let's talk about the plot.

So this is a farce.

It moves fast.

So we give just sort of a overview of what this play is about.

Well, I would say it's a love story wrapped in a farce.

Okay.

And it is definitely a play about manners because we, again, are talking about the Victorian era.

And that era was all about doing things the right way.

Right.

Wilde really appreciate that because he realized the level of hypocrisy that was involved with all of that kind of preening.

And so this play is all about taking those expectations and throwing them on their ear, if you will.

Yeah.

So yeah.

So there are several different love stories happening.

You have Algy, you have Jack, and then you have the love interests in the Cecily and Gwendolyn.

So those two, couplings are part of the joy of the comedy.

But you also have their governesses, the two women's governesses, and Mrs. Miss Prism.

And in the, Lady Bracknell, which which is how you have to say, you have Lady Bracknell.

And that particular, I guess, dynamic of the show is where a lot of the humor lives.

But just trying to make sure that their, their wards are meeting men that are appropriate for them.

Yeah.

So those two love stories, I think are some of the that where the humor lifts.

There's also some kind of secondary love stories between, Miss Prism and, algae's kind of, manservant, if you will.

And then there's some kind of secondary stuff that we'll get to a little later in the show, but I would say, Wilde uses this farcical kind of subtext to then kind of comment on Victorian propriety, and kind of make fun of it in a lot of ways.

Not not just comment but say, this is silly.

Why are we being so hypocritical?

We should just live in our truth.

And he talks about living in truth by basically having the characters lie all the time.

Yes, absolutely.

So the irony of earnestness in the in the title, is there anybody named earnest in the play?

Well, you would think so, but and and I get are we spoiler alert.

I mean, it's, it's 124.

I don't know if there's anyone named earnest in the play.

So, one of the things that is significant is this is written in 1895.

And so this is just when the Victorian, age is really starting to come apart.

So all of these, you know, the importance of, owning land, the importance of propriety, the importance of, marriages being overseen by families rather than being love matches.

That's all just kind of falling apart.

And so we see the strain of that and the hypocrisy, as you say, of the.

Yeah.

And they and Wilde pens a very interesting, concept in the idea of Bunbury.

And this idea is that everyone must have a Bunbury.

What is, which is a noun, which is someone in your life that you can use to get out of social engagements that you are not interested in doing.

Yes.

So, both of our lead men, Algernon and Jack, have this Bunbury figure.

One is someone out in the country who's not dealing well.

So they have to, go out and help them.

That is that very convenient.

Invalid.

Yes.

I would love to have dinner with you, but So sorry again.

Yes.

So that is this contrivance that he has created to allow us to escape.

Yes.

And and I think that that is something that, again, is used for comedic effect all through the show.

And I think it's a good idea.

I think we should bring back Bunbury.

I need to find my own.

My very own Bunbury.

In my.

No, I will I will be totally on to you.

If you cancel lunch.

Oh.

So, and I'm just finishing these with a little bit of milk and egg glaze.

You can make these a lot of different ways, but I like cutting these into, into little quarters here.

And you can, you can get a, get a lot.

I'm going to put these in a 400 degree oven and they bake in about 15 minutes.

So we'll get that started there.

For the wafers as I continue to, to cut them, you can, you know, create a bunch of these.

They, they're, they're so simple.

They're so delicious and so fresh and nice.

When you make these, you know, for a spring summer party.

This was, again a, you know, a Victorian staple.

One of the things in the play that, is mentioned when you look at kind of critical analysis of, of, The Importance of Being Earnest is that Jack or Algy actually eats almost all of the, cucumber sandwiches before the guests arrive.

And that is, again, wild flipping the narrative and saying what is expected of you is to leave them alone.

But what we are going to do is to eat them all, which is the opposite.

So is the opposite.

We're going to take a little break here while our scones break.

You'll see some bake.

Rather, you'll see some images of Oscar Wilde in his finery.

And we'll be right back.

264 00:11:57,249 --> 00:11:57,550 All right.

The scones smell fantastic.

They've been pooling here just a little bit.

And I like making them in these little rounds because it keeps the edges a little tender.

Can you see that?

They're just a little tender.

So, So, Aaron, what are you making in this part of.

I am privileged to make a Victoria sponge.

You are a classic, a classic, and a little more savory than some of our American alternatives.

So it is not cloyingly sweet.

It just has a touch of that sweetness.

And the sweetness comes more from the ingredients than from the cake itself.

So more from the filling.

Yeah, yeah.

So you are going to be starting with, some jam, just a nice strawberry berry jam, and we're going to be, kind of breaking that up and spreading that over.

And this is the first of the three layers that we're going to be using, be using that jam.

You want to build it right on here.

I think I'll start over here.

And then I'm going to put the the, the powdered sugar on once we place it.

All right.

It's going to be a high wire act to move that.

Oh, you think so?

Okay.

Well, I'm going to take your advice then.

And as soon as I put this on I'm going to move it to our other surface because April is the master.

I just play a cook on, TV here.

So, spread it is.

The Victoria sponge is just a classic, British cake.

And I am trying my hand at crumpets.

So, what we call muffins.

There's actually a reference to muffins in the play, but that's not really.

What we think of as muffins is not what the Brits thought of muffins in the 1890s.

Nor were, So.

So full disclosure, there are no crumpets in this play.

But there ought to be, so these are, it's, yeast and baking powder, raised dough.

I've got some that has been sitting here.

You got to wait and let it get a little bit frothy, but I'll show you how to make it.

And right now I've got some fast rising yeast that is kind of melting a little bit in some water, some warm water.

And, this is some salt and flour, and I'm going to stir it vigorously.

Vigorously.

Yes.

With a whisk for two minutes to get the gluten going.

So this is part of the way you get the wonderful choux when you, when you, toast a crumpet.

So and so the second layer has been applied on probably do a little or you think a little more, I love it.

Yeah.

It's age of excess.

Not so well.

And yes.

And to the excess point we have added a little bit of that jam, warmed the jam and added it and incorporated it into the whipped cream.

So not only is it the whipped cream, but it also has that jam built in.

So again, some secrets.

I like that.

It also makes it ever so slightly pink.

So so let's talk a little bit about Oscar Wilde's life when he was writing this in 1895.

Sure, there was a lot going on, and probably some of the viewers know a little bit about this.

And yes, and going, this is one of the first cases of being prosecuted under the Gross Indecency Act, that had happened to Wilde just right around the same time as this play was being written.

In that 1895, 1896 period.

And as you may know, we are going to capture home at the South Bend Civic Theater because that that beautiful home in South Bend was completed almost at that exact same time.

But during that time in Britain, this prosecution was happening.

Basically, anyone who was living these double lives was starting to get called out.

We talked about Bunbury and actually Wilde had done that in his real life as well.

He had a wife and two children, but he was living a double life as a not quite private, a little more public than maybe he should have been, with the prosecution.

But, he was kind of dabbling in homosexual relationships and private because it was against the law.

It was against the law, and in fact, prosecuted because, like we said, he was convicted, the father of one of his dalliances, prosecuted him or or accused him publicly.

And he received a sentence of two years hard labor, for gross indecency.

So not only is he speaking in kind of gay subtext in the plays themselves, but also his real life was mirrored, mirroring this, that whole idea of life imitating art was happening to him in his real life.

So I think that is definitely worth saying, because, you know, that is something that 125 years later, we're still dealing with.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So and I mean, remarkably, he he survived prison.

He died a few years later.

And in 1900 and but unfortunately really changed and and heart his career was irreparably harmed.

I mean, of course now, is legacy stands very strong.

Right.

But at that time, no one would produce his plays.

And in many ways, he, he, he died, a man shamed and Unfortunately taken down by this.

Yeah.

What a what a loss.

And so, and you were actually in the play, right?

I mean, you could while it is a play about heterosexual romance.

Let's see, I'm going to get our tea kettle.

So I was I played Algy in the play at Elkhart Civic Theater nearly, I think, 20 years ago at this point when I was, kind of of ingenue age, and had just a brilliant time kind of discovering these cultural connections that I didn't know is a 20 something, but learning all about that, just enjoying this high minded humor, these this, gosh, was so this is just so good and have have stood the test of time again.

And and now these generation later, kind of bringing this back, in my career at the South Pacific theater.

So it's it is just a joy.

Just zing, zing.

Zen.

And arguably the, you know, one real romance, or at least very close friendship is between.

Oh, look at this here.

Oh, I'm just dressing nicely.

We have the the, mint we used earlier.

We're just taking some of that beautiful mint blossom.

Yes, Mary.

And, putting that on the top here, I'm going to put some raspberries along with the strawberries and mint blossom and then just put just a just a touch with spit, powdered sugar on top.

Are you, are you taking notes?

A whisper of cabbage.

Yeah.

That's the official term.

So in here, you'll see that this batter, it's almost like pancake batter, but because it's leavened with both yeast and baking powder, it's very, very, frothy, like this clay.

So you cook it on, this is a little bit of a high wire act.

You cook it first at very high heat, and then I'm going to turn it down.

I should be timing more precisely than I am, but I'm not.

And and, then I'll turn it down to finish cooking until the little holes start really popping on top.

And those nooks and crannies are what allow you to just slather this with butter and jam.

And they're they're completely delicious.

So, so among the, truths that get sort of punctured in the play are the importance of birth.

Right?

The importance of land.

Yes.

Status.

You know, and in some cases, nobility when you're talking about the British, but I think this idea of the nouveau riche.

Yeah.

Affecting people's opinions about, I guess, status.

What's more important, you know, your land or your wealth, your a position in society or this new money that was coming.

And, I mean, that really parallels back to South Bend because in that same era, new money was rising and and Kramer's right.

Yeah, yeah.

Oliver Mansion, all of the Copshaholm itself.

Right.

So the same conversations that we're having, in this farce are happening in our own backyard right here in South Bend.

Yeah, yeah.

And the Oliver mansion, you know, looks sort of castle like it evokes a manor home.

But it's but it's not.

So let me see how these are.

They're browning on the other side here.

So the rings, the rings come right off.

We're going to let this finish.

We'll let me see if we can get one.

Hey, I yeah.

Oh, my.

Well we'll see.

I'm going to actually look.

So this is a comment down just a little bit.

One of the things Wilde is known for is kind of propagating that idea of style over substance.

Yes.

Very nice.

Great line.

I'm doing my best.

Oh, my gosh.

There is also substance.

Yes.

Beautiful.

Sponge.

But you can always dress something up to look fancy with that.

Yes it is.

And my goodness, I'd forgotten.

I need to, put the afternoon.

This is English afternoon tea.

We'll start this steeping in here.

The Brits sure know how to make an electric tea kettle, I'll tell you.

And then we'll have this ready for when we are.

I can't wait to to dive in.

So, even though we won't give away the, all of the plot twists, but there's a, as somebody who's read a lot of Victorian novels, and I'm sure a lot of you have read them as well.

There is, sort of comic overdrive at the end with ending, not just with one marriage, but marriage upon marriage, upon marriage, and all of these based on misconceptions.

Absolutely.

Sometimes intentional, sometimes unintentional, which, again, the Importance of Being Earnest, being the goal both in name and in, I guess, propriety.

Right?

Yes.

Yeah.

Nicely put.

So we're going to take some time now to look at images of Oscar Wilde's play through the Playbill archive.

We will be right back with our team.

The.

And.

Then.

and and.

Aaron and I have prepared the wild inspired tea milk first.

Of course.

All right.

So I'll pour it.

Tell us what you made here.

Oh well yes I made the traditional cucumber sandwiches for our team last year.

And then something I'd never had experience with but is just turned out beautifully, which is our Victoria sponge.

You did a gorgeous job.

Layers of Chantilly cream and strawberries and a very simple sponge cake.

You did a fabulous job.

And we've got two different kinds of starches.

Because why not?

Excess is part of the spirit of the book.

Some English cheddar scones and some, crumpets, which really you should toast first and then slather with butter and jam and eat over the sink.

Probably.

So why, should someone read Oscar Wilde now, what keeps him so fresh?

I think the the the manners, the idea of of talking about manners and almost just talking about them and making fun of them and realizing why are we caring so much about propriety?

I think that is a universal thing.

I mean, here we are, 6 or 7 generations later, and we're still talking about manners and still talking about hypocrisy, frankly.

And so I think that these kind of stories, the humor is still fresh.

It just they live on forever.

I mean, just like Shakespeare is now 400 years old now Wilde being 100 is showing off.

Well, no, but I think I think these stories are universal.

I think these plays can be brought out every few years, just to remind us how the vim and vigor of the English language, and how our British dramas are more applicable than ever, probably here in America.

Absolutely.

It's fun to read aloud.

It's wonderful to see on the stage.

So.

And the quotes are just as quotable now as they were 130 years ago, and slinging them back and forth here in the kitchen.

So we hope that you will read widely.

Cook Adventurously.

These were my first crumpets and they're pretty tasty on your first Victoria sponge.

Yes.

Do you see Wilde living wildly?

Yeah, indeed.

Thanks so much for joining us.

We'll see you next time on dinner and a book.

This WNIT local production has been made possible in part by viewers like you.

Thank you.

Dinner and a book is supported by the Rex and Alice A. Martin Foundation of Elkhart, celebrating the spirit of Alice Martin and her love of good food and good friends.