The Importance of Being Earnest to welcome three new cast members

Brian Murray, Jayne Houdyshell and Jessie Austrian are to join the Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway revival of Oscar Wilde's comedy The Importance of Being Earnest, directed by and starring Brian Bedford as 'Lady Bracknell,' at the American Airlines Theatre.

Original cast members Dana Ivey (Miss Prism), Paxton Whitehead (Rev. Canon Chausible) and Sara Topham (Gwendolyn Fairfax) will play their final performance on on 20 Mar 2011.

Brian Murray (Rev. Canon Chasuble), Jayne Houdyshell (Miss Prism) and Jessie Austrian (Gwendolen Fairfax) will begin performances on 22 Mar 2011.

As recently announced, the limited engagement of The Importance of Being Earnest has been extended 17-weeks through to 3 Jul 2011. It was originally scheduled to close on 6 Mar 2011 The comedy opened at the American Airline Theatre on 13 Jan 2011, following previews from 17 Dec 2010, for a limited engagement that was originally scheduled to end on 6 Mar 2011.

The Importance of Being Earnest opened to mostly excellent reviews: Delightfully naughty (NY Post); Funniest and sharpest production I've ever seen (Back Stage); As super as it gets on Broadway (NY1); Comedy at its most sublime (Hollywood Reporter).

The Importance of Being Earnest: Dashing men-about-town John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff pursue fair ladies Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew. Matters are complicated by the imaginary characters invented by both men to cover their on-the-sly activities - not to mention the disapproval of Gwendolen's mother, the formidable Lady Bracknell.

The cast currently features Brian Bedford (Lady Bracknell), Dana Ivey (Miss Prism), Paxton Whitehead (Reverend Chausible), Santino Fontana (Algernon Moncrieff), David Furr (Jack Worthing), Tim MacDonald (Merriman), Paul O'Brien as (Lane), Charlotte Parry as (Cecily Cardew) and Sara Topham as (Gwendolyn).

The design team includes Desmond Heeley (Sets & Costumes), Duane Schuler (Lights) and Drew Levy (Sound).

Bios:

Jayne Houdyshell (Miss Prism ). Broadway: 'Bye Bye Birdie' (Roundabout), 'Wicked' and 'Well' (Tony nomination). Off-Broadway: 'The Language Archive,' 'Coraline,' 'The Receptionist,' 'The New Century,' 'The Pain and the Itch,' 'Well,' 'Much Ado About Nothing' and 'True Love.' Film: "Morning Glory," "The Bounty Hunter," "Everybody's Fine," "Garden State," "Trust the Man," "Changing Lanes." Television: "Unorthodox," "Conviction," "Law & Order," "Third Watch."

Brian Murray (Rev. Canon Chasuble). Broadway: 'Mary Stuart,' 'The Rivals,' 'The Crucible' (Tony nomination), 'Uncle Vanya,' 'Twelfth Night,' 'The Little Foxes' (Tony nomination), 'Racing Demon,' 'A Small Family Business,' 'Noises Off,' 'Black Comedy,' 'Sleuth,' 'Da,' 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead' (Tony nomination) His numerous Off-Broadway appearances include 'Me, Myself And I,' 'Keep Your Pantheon,' 'Gaslight,' 'Colder Than Here,' 'Much Ado About Nothing,' 'Beckett/Albee,' 'Scattergood,' 'Hobson's Choice,' 'The Play About the Baby' (Obie Award), 'Travels with My Aunt' and 'Ashes' (Obie). Recipient: 1998 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence, 1998 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work.

Jessie Austrian (Gwendolen Fairfax). Broadway: 'Lend Me a Teno.' Off-Broadway: 'The Marriage of Bette and Boo' and 'Cymbeline.'