Brian Bedford to play Lady Bracknell at Stratford

Stratford veteran actor and leading man Brian Bedford has agreed to do a comic turn as Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest.

Bedford is also directing the 2009 production of Oscar Wilde's comedy at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in the southwestern Ontario town of Stratford.

The late William Hutt was famous for his cross-dressing role as the indomitable Lady Bracknell, who opposes the marriage of her daughter Gwendolyn to the hero Jack in Wilde's play.

It's a role that calls for comic timing and a rather terrifying presence.

Bedfordhas played everything from Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream to Richard III at Stratford and won a Tony Award for acting in Moliere's The School for Wives on Broadway.

"It's a wonderful and somewhat daunting challenge to play Lady Bracknell," Bedford said in a statement. "When I first contemplated the role, I was a bit apprehensive, but very soon fell madly in love with the play and the character. I don't want it to be a 'drag performance,' but rather as serious and dimensional as possible."

Bedford will also present a companion piece to The Importance of Being Earnest, a one-man show entitled Ever Yours, Oscar based on Wilde's letters.

The Importance of Being Earnest will star Ben Carlson as Jack, Stephen Ouimette as Rev. Canon Chasuble, Mike Shara as Algernon and Sara Topham as Gwendolyn.