"Lady Windermere's Fan" Performances at Stage 773 Memorial Day Weekend

Theater fans looking for a play to catch Memorial Day weekend can catch Dead Writers Theatre Collective’s critically acclaimed production of ”Lady Windermere’s Fan” at Stage 773 located at 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Around the Town says “’Lady Windermere’s Fan’ has a cornucopia of memorable bon mots... a delightful experience ... I give it 4 Spotlights.” Chicago Theater Review calls it “a much welcome play to warm our Chicago Springtime.” And Chicago Stage Standard calls it “a chewy vehicle for Wilde’s most mordant observations on human love, lust, and limitation...Highly Recommended.”

“Lady Windermere’s Fan” subtitled “A Play About a Good Woman” was first produced in 1892 at London’s St James’s Theatre in London. Married into the peak of London high society, rich, titled, beautiful and proper Lady Margaret Windermere is 21 years old and without a care in the world. Before the next sunrise, malicious gossip, a glamorous woman with a dangerous past, a charming gentleman with a wicked reputation, and a misplaced fan will threaten to destroy everything she holds dear and change her forever.

Oscar Wilde (1854 -1900) was a successful poet and journalist, though his greatest talent was for writing plays. His first successful play, “Lady Windermere’s Fan,” opened in February 1892, followed by a string of extremely popular comedies including “A Woman of No Importance” (1893), “An Ideal Husband” (1895), and “The Importance of Being Earnest” (1895). In 1891, at the peak of his career, Wilde began an ill-fated affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, nicknamed “Bosie.” When Bosie’s disapproving father insulted Wilde, Wilde sued for defamation of character. Bosie’s father’s counter suit for “depravity” resulted in Wilde’s conviction for sodomy and Wilde’s two-year jail sentence. After serving his sentence, Wilde emerged from jail bankrupt and spiritually broken. He died of cerebral meningitis on Nov. 30, 1900. Wilde’s story is at the heart of David Hare’s “The Judas Kiss” which will have a chamber production by Dead Writers Theatre Collective at the Stage 773 Cabaret Aug. 8-10.

Dead Writers Theatre Collective presents Oscar Wilde’s “Lady Windermere’s Fan” now through June 7 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $40. Group, senior and student discounts are available. For tickets call 773.327.5252 or visit deadwriters.net.