host posted on February 17, 2012 13:48
Oscar Wilde :On AmericaFebruary 21, 2012
SPI Hilton Garden Inn
Hors d'oeuvres: 6:30 p.m.
Curtain: 7:30 p.m.
DOORS WILL NOT OPEN UNTIL 6:30 PM
An iconic celebrity from Victorian London comes to life this week on stage in South Padre Island. The El Paseo Arts Foundation is bringing back William Strong in his new one-man show as Oscar Wilde. Anyone who saw Strong's previous brilliant appearance here as Mark Twain, will need no urging to see this one. But it is even more tantalizing to think of revisiting the turbulent and volatile life of one of England's most witty and penetrating commentators on Victorian values which he pillories for their absurdities.
Wilde's plays and novels are brimful of biting social criticism and clever word play, yet his life is darkened with the tragedy of being persecuted for his sexuality. It brings his story to an end with a chapter of scandal and intrigue. It also gives rise to his most poignant writing. But his life and work remain a remarkable gift to literature and hilarious insights into Victorian norms. Over the century since his death, his reputation as a figure who stood for art, an original thinker, a great writer and a great man has emerged.
Even in his lifetime, Wilde's fame crossed the ocean as his plays and novels gained notoriety in North America. Inevitably, the man followed and this portion of Strong's performance is based on the writer's characteristically sardonic observations about our land. In his U.S. tour he traveled to Galveston and San Antonio and left a trail of his observations of what he found. To anticipate the tone of his travel impressions we have only to recall some of his most famous quips about his countrymen.
Thirty-five is a very attractive age. London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free choice, remained thirty-five for years.
Or a personal revelation about himself:
To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early or be respectable.
It will surely be revealing to hear his impressions of Texas. He also talks about his most famous works, A Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest and recounts the painful time of his trial and years in prison. For the trial, Mr. Strong will be joined by John Cook as the prosecutor. This was the inspiration for some of Wilde's most touching poetry. Characteristically, however, the show bristles with the caustic wit, irrepressible humor and underlying critique of social norms that were his trademarks. As Wilde himself said, "I have put my talent into writing, my genius I have saved for living. "
The performance takes place in the Hilton Garden Inn on Tuesday February 21. Hors d'oeuvres are at 6:30 and curtain time 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at SPI Visitors Center, Paragraphs Book Store, Designer Consigner, online at www.elpaseoarts.org and at the door if still available.
The Camillle Playhouse Production of The Gin Game comes to the stage at the convention center on March 22, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. Ray Stewart and JoAnn Evans co-star in this two person comedy-drama 
that won the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award. Its a Gin Game unlike any you have ever seen before. You'll start out laughing and then find yourself breathless as the gloves of civility come off and the punches begin to be thrown. You won't want to miss seeing this acting duo in action again. If you enjoyed them in "Postcards", "Love Letters", or the Camille's production of The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, you know that the audience for the Gin game is in for a wonderful evening of theatre.
Tickets go on sale at all ticket outlets and on line beginning February 24, 2012. Tickets are priced at $25 per person/$20 for members.
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Actor Spotlight
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William Strong: W. F. Strong has been performing as an impersonator since his college days. He has performed as Mark Twain in over 100 shows in his lifetime. He has also performed as Lincoln on a few occasions. Oscar Wilde is a new personality for him, but similar to that of Twain in that Wilde had a world class wit, was a comedic writer and social critic. Strong has a Ph.D. in Communication and is a Professor of Communication at The University of Texas at Brownsville. He, along with Dr. Cook, hosts the radio program, GOOD BOOKS, for KMBH public radio.
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Actor Spotlight
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Dr. John Cook is a professor of communication at the University of Brownsville. Since he was a speech and theatre major at L.S. U. he has performed major roles in such productions as "The Rainmaker", "The Death and Life of Sneaky Fitch", "Juno and the Paycosk", "The Last Meeting of the Knights of the White Magnolia", "Twain Sketches," "The Lower Depths", "The Braggart Soldier", and "The Music Man". At L.S.U., he directed "ILE" and "The Indian Wants The Bronx". John has performed in readers theatres with Dr. Strong, performing such authors as Woody Allen and authors of tales of horror. At UTB, Dr. Cook directed "You're Not Listening", "The Abortion Monologues", and directed and acted in "Rowing to America". John also portrayed the role of George in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?"
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