Oscar Wilde meets 'Walking Dead' in St. Petersburg

Some people think bacon makes any dish better. And some people apparently think zombies make any classic story more appealing.

Thus, the popular novel "Pride and Prejudice With Zombies." And, thus the brand-new show from St. Petersburg's freeFall Theatre, "The Importance of Being Earnest With Zombies."

The take on Oscar Wilde's evergreen comedy comes from Eric Davis, freeFall's artistic director. The publicity material says that "Wilde's classic satire on social conventions and propriety is even more biting when played against the backdrop of the zombie apocalypse."

It's kind of hard to imagine that one of the greatest plays of the past 200 years could be made even greater with the addition of the trendy flesh-eaters. But Davis is an amazingly creative guy, and he has guided freeFall from its beginnings to its current status as the most consistently excellent theater company in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area. So there's reason to hope for something special here.

In Davis' reworking of the Wilde classic, John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff lead double lives, fighting zombies while they're pursuing Gwendolyn Fairfax (Kelly Pekar) and Cecily Cardew.

The cast is promising, with freeFall regular Matthew McGee (who played the title role in freeFall's recent hit staging of "Mame") and Larry Alexander (from Banyan Theater's "Art") among the well-known area actors taking part in the festivities. Davis is directing his own script for this world premiere production.

Details: Oct. 3-Nov. 1, freeFall Theatre, 6099 Central Ave, St. Petersburg. Show times: 7 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $33-$48 adults, $30-$45 students, seniors, military. Information: 727-498-5205, freefalltheatre.com.

-- Marty Clear

This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Oscar Wilde meets 'Walking Dead' in St. Petersburg ."