ELTC’s Lee O’Connor reads “The Magic Egg” by Victorian humorist, Frank R. Stockton.

Victorians called them porticoes, piazzas, galleries, and verandas; we call them porches. But whatever you call them, the lure of cool breeze from a comfy chair poised just above a parade of passers-by is timeless.

Even today, when the creature comfort of air-conditioning draws us increasingly indoors, there is something about the serenity of relaxing outside that makes us feel a bit like royalty.

That must have been how the high-society Victorians of Cape May felt when they retired to the veranda for afternoon tea, and that’s how we felt during a recent afternoon, spent on the grand porch of the Victorian Lace Inn, 901 Stockton Avenue, for the East Lynne Theater Company’s (ELTC’s) “Tales of the Victorians” program.

According to ELTC’s Lee O’Connor, Victorians often sought respite from the heat on their porches in the afternoon, and with no televisions or laptops or cell phones, they relied on their guests to occupy their minds while they waited for the afternoon sun to break. Often they told each other stories or read to each other, while enjoying tea and treats.

“It was meant to take everyone’s mind off the heat,” O’Connor said.

With that in mind, we didn’t drink any tea during our visit; instead we drank sweet tea and lemonade with ice, and my children loaded more than their fair share of cookies onto delicate china plates before claiming cozy seats on a white wicker settee with a breeze and a view of the ocean in the distance.

Then the stories began.

First, Stephanie Garrett, read “Mama’s Missionary Money,” by Chester Himes, the story of an African American boy, who sees the light after spending a summer as “king of the neighborhood” by stealing money from his mother’s secret black bag.

Garrett said she had taken her audience, which included several vacationing couples, a few middle aged ladies, and me and my three children, ages 7, 10 and 12 into account before choosing the story.

And for the most part, she was on target.
The story offered humor and a somewhat dark look at a child’s morality. My kids said they found it disturbing when the boy got his comeuppance in the form of a switch, but overall they liked the story.

O’Connor read next with “The Magic Egg,” by Frank R. Stockton, a humorist and prolific writer of children’s fairy tales during the Victorian Age. The story focuses on a magician’s amazing trick with a magic egg and the personal price he must pay for his deception. It explores the Victorian fascination with spiritualism and magic, and it was my family’s favorite story of the afternoon.

The fee for the reading was $7 for adults and children are free. All in my group found the experience enjoyable and at times captivating. Still, I believe older children get the most out of it. My 12-year-old son said it was much better than he thought it would be, and my 7-year-old daughter admitted there was much she didn’t understand, but she liked the porch and the company and the cookies on the fancy plates quite a bit.

The readings switch locations every week. Here’s the schedule:
Aug. 14: The Chalfonte Hotel, 301 Howard St.,
Aug. 21: Windward House, 24 Jackson St.
Aug. 28: The Fairthorne, 111 Ocean St.
Sept. 4: Victorian Lace Inn, 901 Stockton Ave.
Sat. Oct. 11: Cliveden Inn, 709 Columbia Ave.
Also consider taking in one of ELTC’s many theatrical productions at The First Presbyterian Church on Hughes Street. Franz Molnar’s “The Guardsman” runs Aug. 6-30, and Susan Tischler’s “Helpful Hints” runs Aug. 20-31. For more information, call 609-884-5898, or visit eastlynnetheater.org.