Based on De Profundis, a letter composed by Oscar Wilde while he was in prison, Oscar Wilde - The Monologue by Elias Andreato opened February 28,1998 and has been attracting great audiences at The Gavea House in Rio de Janeiro.

In 1895 at the peak of his career, Wilde became the central figure in one of the most sensational court trials of the century. The results scandalized the Victorian middle class. Wilde, who had been a close friend of the young Lord Alfred Douglas was convicted of sodomy and sentenced in two years of hard work in prison.

While in prison he composed his last work, the letter De Profundis an apology for his life, which some critics consider a serious revelation and others a sentimental and insincere work.

"It´s important to show that a hundred years later, the discrimination against people is the same"... explains Andreato, who thinks that the starkness of prison life and the desperation of imprisoned people can be revealed beautifully in cadenced language.

Author Andreato plays the Irish writer and wit Oscar Wilde. Vivien Buckup is the director and Fabio Nanatame is the Costume Designer. Performances are from Thursdays to Saturdays - 9:30PM; Sundays - 8PM. Tickets cost R$25,00. For more information call 021 239 3511 at The Gavea House in Rio de Janeiro.

--By Nertutila Achao

Brazil Correspondent