LA WEEKLY REVIEW March 5th, 2007

  GO    DIVERSIONS AND DELIGHTS      Oscar Wilde spent his whole life tempting fate. His style, arrogance and unconventional morality challenged the morés, proprieties and values of his times — till the times struck back by stripping him of everything he held dear: his wife, his children, his fortune, his reputation and his most cherished possessions. After being consigned to prison for two years for “gross indecency“ (i.e., homosexual activities), he emerged as a broken man. This monodrama, by John Gay, imagines a public lecture-for-cash delivered by aging, ailing, poverty-stricken Wilde (Hutchins Foster). The title suggests that the emphasis will be on the lighter aspects of his career, and initially it is, offering a lavish display of Wilde’s wit, charm and talent for capturing life’s paradoxes in his writings. Act 2 digs deeper, into his fatal love for selfish, frivolous Lord Alfred Douglas. Gay assembles verbal gems from Wilde’s letters, conversations and writings, including some of his poems and stories, but the performance only hints at the deeper tragedy of Wilde’s life. Foster moves from mannered charm to a richer, more nuanced portrait by the end. Director August Viverito keeps the pacing brisk on Keith E. Mitchell’s elegant set amidst the slightly shabby venue, and Shon LeBlanc provides Oscar with modest sartorial splendor. FosterShep Productions & The Production Company at THE COMPLEX, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Hlywd.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru April 8. (310) 869-7546. (Neal Weaver)

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