Lady Bracknell enters the Busch leagues

June 17, 12:12 PMLA Stage Scene ExaminerEvan Henerson

The male drag? This time, yes, maybe even the drag, even though the players will be standing behind microphones reading scripts and the finished performance will eventually be aired on radio.

We are speaking, of course, of Oscar Wilde’s ”The Importance of Being Earnest,” the playwright’s “trivial comedy of serious people” concerning a couple of English gentlemen who can not get hitched to their ladies of choice unless they figure out a way to change both their names to Ernest. Complicating matters for both couples is the presence of one gorgon dowager, Lady Augusta Bracknell who utters some of the choices bon mots in Wilde’s cannon, and thereby, in all of English literature.

Playing Lady B for Los Angeles Theatre Works radio production -- running today through Saturday at the Skirball Cultural Center -- is another rather witty gent, the actor/playwright Charles Busch who wrote both “The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife” and “Vampire Lesbians of Sodom.” Busch, more often than not, plays a larger than life woman when he acts. So he is no stranger to frocks.

And, as it happens, Lady Bracknell, has many a time been played by a man. John Mahoney took the role during a “Frasier” cast benefit reading of “Earnest” some five years back. Lynne Redgrave played it for Sir Peter Hall in 2006 at the Ahmanson. Maggie Smith, Judi Dench (in the movie) and on it goes.

Joining Lady Busch will be Jill Gascoine, Emily Bergl, James Marsters, Christopher Neame, Matthew Wolf and Sarah Zimmerman. The company was supposed to have Neil Patrick Harris, but apparently he had a movie commitment. The producers, I’m told, let him skip to host the Tony awards, but not this engagement.

The “Earnest” performances are tonight, Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., 2:30 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday. LATW performances air Saturdays 10p.m. to midnight on KPCC 89.3.

Tickets: $20-$48 (310) 827-0889, www.latw.org.