Stage 62 will perform one of Oscar Wilde's masterpiece comedies later this month.

An eight-member cast will take the stage at Andrew Carnegie Music Hall in "The Importance of Being Earnest."

The non-profit theater group will delight teen through adult audiences the weekends of May 9 and May 16.

"It's one of Oscar Wilde's greatest plays. It has really great characters and it is a wonderful piece for actors. There are a lot of funny lines," says director Bob Scott.

"It's a real satiric look at English Society in the late 1800s -- the Victorian era."

The focus of "The Importance of Being Earnest" is country gentleman Jack Worthing, who makes regular escapes to London posing as "Ernest," his fictional brother.While in England, he falls in love with Gwendolen Fairfax.

Jack's friend, Algernon Moncrieff, a true rascal in his own right, shows up at Jack's country estate posing as "Ernest" so that he can woo Jack's ward, the lovely Cecily.

Comic confusion ensues when the two young ladies meet and confront the two "Ernests." Situations are further complicated when "Gwendolen's mother, the haughty Lady Bracknell,shows up.

"They were looking for directors for this season so I threw my hat in the ring," Scott says.

"They were looking for directors and ideas for plays. I was interviewed by the Stage 62 board."

This is the first time Scott, who grew up in Crafton and is now a more than 30-year Mt. Lebanon resident, is directing with Stage 62.

He was bitten by the acting bug in his late 40s, and has performed in various productions around the area.

Scott previously acted in Stage 62's "Mame," in 2000, and he has directed various shows with The Old Schoolhouse players in Hickory, Washington County.

He has also directed and assistant-directed at Open Stage Theater in Pittsburgh.

"I've come to enjoy directing more, but I like to mix it up," he says.

"This show is a very witty satire -- the play to me, it just sparkles. The dialogue, the writing is very intelligent and very witty. It's a very well-written piece."

Among the show's cast members are Scott resident Andrew Peters, a West Allegheny School District teacher, who will play the lead role of Jack, and Carnegie resident Tom Fuchel, who will play Rev. Dr. Chasuble.

"The cast of characters that Oscar Wilde created, they really are wonderful characters, and I think people will enjoy them," Scott says.

"It's a comedy of manners."

The show runs May 9, 10, 16 and 17 at 8 p.m., and May 11 at 2 p.m.

Visit www.Stage62.com [1]. Tickets are $12 for general admission, and the student/senior citizen rate is $10. Call 412-429-6262 to reserve seats.