LOS ANGELES -- An original adaptation of Oscar Wilde's Nightingale and the Rose by the Glorious Repertory Company, will open at the 24th Street Theatre, April 24 at 8 PM.

The GRC is the resident company at the 24th Street Theatre. It specializes in family entertainment and was previously based in the Odyssey Theatre, where it won many awards over the past decade.

Nightingale and the Rose was adapted through the collaborative efforts by members of the company, under the guidance of director Debby Devine. Alan Goodson is the producer.

According to a company spokesperson, the story follows a "colored" riverboat jazz singer named Rose and the unexpected love she finds with a young white man. Drawing on the mirror image shared by her own story of taboo love and that of Wilde's Victorian parable of love, she confides in her closest friend, the world-weary and disenchanted Miss Joleen, who warns Rose about the dangerous repercussions of her desires.

Jazz, voodoo, prohibition, Spanish moss and a Mississippi steamboat are the key elements in the play. Devine's cast includes Doug Burch, Karl Calhoun, Cheryl Crabtree, Stacy Cunningham, Lydia Hannibal, Jay McAdams and Stephen Thorne.

The schedule is Fri. & Sat. at 8 PM; Sun. at 3 PM through May 17. Admission is $12 for adults; $6 for kids. The theatre is located at 1117 West 24th St. Call (213) 745-6516.

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent