Editor’s Note: As of Nov. 13, all performances of The Importance of Being Earnest have been canceled due to possible exposure to Covid-19.
By Michael Moran
As Cultural Park continues to work through the problems surrounding Covid 19 and keeping the theater stage alive and its patrons comfortable and safe, audiences will be able to enjoy the final weekend of Joe Simonelli’s Wake Me at Midnight Oct 29 through Nov 1.
Don’t miss your last chance to see this mischievous Italian family gathered to bury their deceased uncle while trying to find a winning lotto ticket he hid in the funeral home before he died as a last minute joke on the family. The ticket will expire at Midnight; so it’s a must find ticket for the cast and a must see night of comedy for our audiences by Nov 1.
The theater will also host a Haunted theater walk for children and families on Halloween night Oct. 31 from 7 till 9 p.m. at the theater. Children will be able to enjoy a socially distanced tour of our haunted theater followed by a trunk or treat in our parking lot as they exit. Tickets are $10 for the event, and proceeds will help support the theater as we move through the losses resulting from limited seating.
On stage Nov. 6, 7 and 8, Cultural Park Theater proudly presents Divas Through the Decades!
A musical journey from the 1940s through today with music from some of the greatest “Divas” to grace the sound waves of each era. As a special event, we will be live streaming the production from the theater on Nov. 6 for those of you who may prefer watching from home or are not able to secure one of the 55 seats that are available for each night. Please check our website www.culturalparktheater or our Facebook page for details on how to watch the streaming event.
Audiences have loved Oscar Wilde for “his grasp of language, his grasp of wit and his wordplay.”
All of that will be on stage at CPT starting Nov. 12 and running through Nov. 22 when Gwen Salata directs Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.
Though “Earnest” was written more than 100 years ago, audiences still love the humor and satire the show offers in this comic piece of theater history. In fact when “Earnest” debuted in London, theater critics said, “The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People” — And very much remains so today.
John Worthing escapes the burdens of responsibility to have an exciting life in the city, pretending to be his fictitious younger brother Ernest. Algernon Moncrieff, meanwhile, has invented a convenient invalid, Bunbury, whom he uses as an excuse to gallivant off to the country whenever he pleases. When John falls in love with Algernon’s cousin, Gwendolen, he is determined to come clean, but when Gwendolen reveals she can only love a man named Ernest, it somewhat complicates things.
When Algernon discovers John’s secret and decides to visit John’s pretty little ward in the country, posing as the debauched “Ernest,” the situation gets entirely more complicated! Hijinks ensue, and the two gentlemen and their ladies are in for more than they ever anticipated when formidable Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen’s mother, begins sleuthing around to uncover the far-fetched truth. Oscar Wilde’s brilliant comedy captures with wit and charm the absurdity and delight of the Victorian “age of surfaces” (as Lady Bracknell calls it,) while capturing the struggle of four passionate lovers trying to conform to expectations and, in the most roundabout and delightfully funny way possible, love who they wish and live how they want.
The Cultural Park Theater is located at 528 Cultural Park Blvd. in Cape Coral. Call the box office for more information at 239-772-5862 or visit www.culturalparktheater.com
Michael Moran is executive director of the Cultural Park Theatre Company.
