Diversions and Delights

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

With all of the productions ever seen, I have been bored to tears, disappointed, disgusted, overwhelmed, awestruck, breathless, thrilled, dazzled, humbled, “awesomed,” “mind-boggled,” star-struck, and knocked out. However, nothing I have seen reached a pinnacle the likes of Germinal’s production of Diversions and Delights.

Albert Banker as Solomon and Paul Caouette as Vicotr in Germinal Stage Denver’s production of The Price.

It needs to be said right up front: do not miss this production.

For several reasons.A Screen Writers’ Guild strike in the 1970s gave playwright/screenwriter, John Gay an opportunity to pursue something he really wanted to do: give Oscar Wilde a last word with an imaginary lecture he might have given but didn’t, and couldn’t, following his prison term, his slide into society’s disgrace, after having soared through literary triumphs.

Using mostly Wilde’s own words, Gay allows this literary genius to speak to his accomplishments, his observations on life as he saw it with biting humor, cunning witticisms, demoralized disgrace, and love for Lord Alfred Douglas, which burned with flamboyant grace shriveling to cold embers.

Wilde’s mastery of the English language in writing, in the art of conversation, by the mere act of tipping his hat speaking carefully chosen words with style and dignity is mind-blowing enough. His intelligent wit, sliced smile, arrogant confidence, all serve to remind everyone of us how all too often the English language has been bastardized. There are indeed numerous exceptions where the art remains in tact.

As vital as the play itself, is the performance by Ed Baierlein.

The program says Sebastian Melmouth played by Baierlein.

After prison, in shame and disgrace, Wilde adopted the pseudonym mainly not to freak out his postman.

Mannerisms, stance, eyes, and even smiles generally identify actors no matter what the costume, what the disguise.

In this production, on the Germinal Stage, there is no essence of Baierlein to be found anywhere, at any time, not even for a nano second.

Fluidity flows throughout his entire being. Facial expressions changed with subtle eye moments, muscle tension, small chuckles, prideful laughs, heartbreaking moments, remembrances of despair, and incredible successes. His walk, his stance, his sitting, his moving in the slightest wave of motion, his titillating diversion finding water in his glass deceptive when he expected a specific liqueur.

Remarkable expression changes flow from delight, amusement, thoughtfulness, poignancy, “funnery,” arrogance, shock, and confident “reflectiveness” with the tiniest muscle movement.

Everything Baierlein does in this performances moves with choreographed dignity and naturalness. This lecture was conceived by Gay to take place in Paris, November 28, 1899 one year and two days before Wilde’s death.

On a well-appointed stage, the timeliness of the words, the natural movements, melted time between then and now. Everything Wilde had to say applies dramatically to today, leaving one to ponder when will we ever listen, when will we ever hear?

Very much aware protesters congregate outside at the time of his lecture to gain a peak at the “famed English Homosexual.” With a streak of nervousness, he reminds his Parisian audience he is Irish, not English. There he stands a homosexual in evil flesh.

After prison he wishes to look at life. He’s had enough of silence, and he’s here to offer his observations, declaring he has nothing to declare but genius. He muses “if Americans only had a sense of humor” as he reflects on Niagara Falls being a disappointment, Leadville the richest city in the world where the miners all wore guns worried they might get shot. Off the top of his head, so it appears, he reminds the audience that he does lie. “Lying and poetry require careful thought.”

At the end when he says takes his leave, he considers writing again with a promise, and then adds, “probably not.” “I have lied to you tonight, but you don’t know where or when.”

As Act I traces observant remembrances. Act II takes a step into reflective contemplation of his love for Douglas, the betrayal, the trials, loss on so many different levels explaining why he can no longer laugh. His definition of art is simply beauty. There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. It is either well written or badly written. Morality he insists “is an attitude we take toward people we don’t like,” Ouch.

At one point in the play, Wilde attends to his right ear with a handkerchief. Handled so carefully, one could not but help wonder if this was part of the script or was this for real with the actor. From a fall in prison, Wilde did break his eardrum causing problems for the rest of his life. Incredible to observe the casual intensified manner this is handled on stage.

He goes after critics. “Critics can be bought. Judging from experience, they can’t be very expensive,” Wilde insisted he didn’t want to write a play for actors. He wrote a play to amuse himself, periodically allowing actors to perform.

Baierlein directed and designed Diversions and Delights. Knowing how difficult it is to direct oneself on stage, the complete package becomes even more overwhelming in its finite perfection.

Dressed in a black wig and elegant suit, (Costume design by Sallie Diamond), the outside of Wilde, the linguist, the playwright, the poet, the esteemed once-upon-a time-lecturer remains in tact. Baierlein digs deep, revealing the inside human being with crossfire emotions, observations, and reactions, peaked with loss, anguish, triumph, arrogance, confidence, wit, humor, with little to laugh about. It is as though Wilde in his uniqueness stood apart from the human race while entrenched with both feet planted squarely in the middle of his world, part of yet separate, belonging yet not, admired by skillions today, feared during his time for his blatant perceptive honesty, whether he was lying or not.

It matters little. This production of Diversions and Delights will stand for a long time to come as one of the most astonishing awesome productions ever experienced by a single actor in a play confronting one of the most illusive dared to be duplicated human beings who ever walked this earth.

Do not miss this production whatever the cost in time, money or sleep. It is a theatrical Master engulfed by a linguistic Master.

Then again, everything I write may be a lie. It’s hard to tell. Don’t take my word or anyone’s word for that matter. Just go. See for yourself.