Oscar Wilde – Analog Artist Digital World

Thanks to a Facebook posting by Tracy Jane, I discovered a hidden gem of a theater up in my neck of the woods. The Hideaway Performing Arts Center (431 Plaza Drive Eustis Florida) is tucked away in a corner of a strip mall, only a half hour drive from my present art studio.

The theater is now owned by the Quinlan and Lucey families. John Lucey gave me a quick rundown of the theaters history when I arrived. Built in 1968, it was once the Eustis Plaza Theater with a large screen and then the theater was cut in half to allow for two much smaller screens that showed 99 cent movies. It was then converted into a live theater with a stage , but that theater did not survive the pandemic.

Eventually his friend Jim Quinlan jokingly said to John that he could help buy the theater. John had been a tech in the early days at the gorgeous 1935 Mediterranean Revival style Winter Garden Theater which has had to close. Unfortunately when it reopens, it will not feature live theater. John couldn’t get the idea out of his head of owning a theater and he and his wife decided to take the plunge. The place is amazing. You should really seek out the Hideaway.

The Importance of Being Earnest written by Oscar Wilde satirizes the hypocrisy and superficiality of British society. Superficial appearances are considered more important that true character. This is even more true in the social media age. Two high society bachelors, John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff (Kyle Meehan, Brandon Boruch) were best friends but Algeron became possessive when his friend became obsessed with the beautiful Gwendolen (Lacy T. Patton). While the two bachelors argued, the servant, Lane (Steven Bechncke) would sneak a nip of the fine vintage wine. The acting was purposefully histrionic to add to the comedic flair of each scene. I felt like I had slipped back in time seeing a play staged in the 1920.

Since Gwendolen had such a preference for the name Earnest, John Worthing decided to let her believe that Earnest was his name. He would do anything to win her love. John had a ward which was the young and refined Cesily (Kayla Meyer). Algernon fell madly in love with her under the guise of also being Earnest. These changed identities and white lies ultimately lead to confusion and dire embarrassing consequences. One of the most comical scenes in the play came when Gwendolen and Cecily faced off over tea and cakes with them both thinking they were engaged to Earnest. Gwendolen tried to act refined but her fangs came out and and the sweet sleek Cecily held her own, but she initiated a food fight to great comic effect. Secrets and lies are not the bedrock for a strong relationship, but love finds a way.

There are only 2 performances left, get your tickets today.

If you are looking to kick off the Holiday season with a taste for the macabre, then join Phantasmagoria as they present “Ghost Stories” this Christmas season. They will bring to life and the bitter sweet taste of death to not one but TWO whimsical classics. The well-loved A Christmas Carol, A Ghost Story of Christmas by Charles Dickens, followed by Oscar Wilde’s rollicking The Canterville Ghost.

I sat in on a dress rehearsal for the show at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. The set felt like an abandoned attic with carousel horses flanking the stage. Projections on a large screen behind the set changed the settings with ease. I fell in love with the faint flickering candle light that illuminated the various corners of the stage. That meant I needed to keep the scene dark so the candles could shine.

A Christmas Carol is a well loved and very familiar classic. Phantasmagoria added its dark and vaudevillian steampunk styled flair to the story. John DiDonna as Scrooge lived in the old man’s skin. I have seen him perform this roll many times over the years. Daniel Cooksley as Marley, draped in chains did an amazing job filling the stage with his his twisted and agonized self. Of the three ghosts, the ghost of Christmas future was magnificently designed. Much larger that life, the dark draped figure gestured with gnarly black branches for hands.

The Canterville Ghost offered a much lighter tale full of light hearted dance. It was the yin to Dickens dark and foreboding Yang. There are two more performances December 3–4, 2022 at the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater, in the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 8 p.m. and 2 p.m. Tickets are about $35.