DIVERSIONS & DELIGHTS by John Gay
The Ensemble Theatre Company of New York presents CRAIG DUDLEY as OSCAR WILDE in DIVERSIONS & DELIGHTS by JOHN GAY. Directed by Kevin G Shinnick . Original Music by Bobbie Lee Crow III. Incidental music by Frank Scott Halley.
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Diversions & Delights is a one-man play by John Gay, in which Oscar Wilde presents a lecture to a French audience in November 1899.
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The show, starring Vincent Price in a tour de force performance, sold out houses worldwide for many years. Ironically, the only city where it failed to find its proper audience was New York, where it played at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in April 1978. It was thought that the space was too large for such an intimate show.
Since Price's great success, the play has rarely been performed and was not seen in New York since 1978 until TETCNY's revival. THE ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY OF NEW YORK was proud to have SOLD OUT most of its run.
Craig Dudley, who portrays Oscar Wilde, recently returned from a successful season under the direction of Adrian Noble at the Old Globe in San Diego, other New York performances include productions of Macbeth and Othello (Roundabout Theatre Company), The Miser (Bank Street Theatre), Ursulas Permanent (Kraine Theatre), Misalliance (Equity Library Theatre), the New York Fringe Festival, War & Peace (Symphony Space) and The Seagull (Columbia University)
He has also been seen throughout the United States in regional theatre productions such as Hamlet, A Tale of Two Cities, The French Lieutenants Woman, An Inspector Calls, The Hasty Heart, Cyrano de Bergerac, Racing Demon, Amadeus, Dial M for Murder, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Crown of Kings, Miracle, Twelfth Night, Noises Off, and the North American Premier of The Woman, as well as several productions of Camelot, essaying the role of King Arthur. ​
On television, his credits include Love is a Many Splendored Thing, One Life to Live, Gimme a Break, and Exiled. In addition, he has co-produced a theatrical documentary about Sir Derek Jacobi, received a scholarship from the American Theatre Wing, and graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Oscar Wilde, the great Irish author and poet, once the premier wit of the late nineteenth century, was acclaimed for his plays such as Lady Windermere's Fan and The Importance of Being Earnest. His only published novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was a sensational hit while simultaneously controversial.
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The married father of two gained even more infamy when he was seen openly accompanying the much younger Lord Alfred Bruce Bosie Douglas, much to the consternation of Lord Alfred's father, John Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry. Lord Alfred, who, after many attempts of both physical confrontations and innuendo about the pair's unmanly goings on, finally left a calling card accusing Wilde of posing as a Somdomite (sic). This led to a libel trial, resulting in Wilde losing, being found guilty of Gross Indecency and sentenced to two years of hard labor.​
Oscar Wilde, the great Irish author and poet, once the premiere wit of the late nineteenth century, was acclaimed for his plays such as Lady Windemeres Fan and The Importance of Being Ernest. His only published novel The Picture of Dorian Gray was a sensational hit while at the same time controversial.
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The married father of two gained even more infamy when he was seen openly accompanying the much younger Lord Alfred Bruce Bosie Douglas, much to the consternation of Lord Alfred's father, John Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry. Lord Alfred, who, after many attempts of both physical confrontations and innuendo about the pair's unmanly goings on, finally left a calling card accusing Wilde of posing as a Somdomite (sic). This led to a trial of libel, which resulted in Wilde losing his case and being found guilty of Gross Indecency and sentenced to two years of hard labor.