Lakeside Community Theater Presents “Black Comedy”
Play By: Peter Shaffer
Directed by: Benjamin Keegan Arnold
My thoughts on Lakeside’s Black Comedy or don’t be afraid of the dark.
The authors of Noises Off! and The Play That Goes Wrong owe much to this 1965 one act farce by Peter Shaffer and, if you enjoyed either or both of those plays, you will be a major fan of Black Comedy.
All the elements for farce are in place here. An aspiring artist, Brindsley Miller, wants to impress Colonel Melkett, the father of his fiancé Carol. Brindsley “borrows” expensive furnishings from his antiques dealer neighbor, Harold Gorringe, who is out of town, to replace his own shabby belongings. This also happens to be the same evening that the richest man in the world is going to drop by to look at Brindsley’s work. Toss in a Baptist preacher’s daughter, Miss Furnival, an ex-lover named Clea, and a German electrician named Schuppanzigh. Mix these characters with liberal amounts of alcohol and put them together during a total blackout and you have a classic British farce with mistaken identity, sexual innuendo, and non-stop laughs.
Director Arnold, despite losing two cast members a week before opening, has somehow managed to put together a small gem of a play with more physical humor than I have seen on stage in quite a while. I want to give special kudos to the actors Austin Bender and Avery Baker who stepped into the central roles of Brindsley and Carol. That both Bender and Baker fit in seamlessly, were remarkably funny, perfected British accents, and were adept at carrying off the complicated blocking, is a testament to their skills. Alex Rain is terrific as Colonel Melkett, the concerned father of Carol. The Colonel is a no-nonsense man caught up in a situation that is totally nonsensical, and it is great fun to watch him slowly break down. Kelly Moore Clarkson scores as the “proper” Miss Furnival and gets major laughs near the end of the play as she literally lets her hair down. Dayton Wilson as the German electrician mistaken for a millionaire is a comic find. Wilson has the German accent down pat and is quite funny as a man who has no clue about the situation he has entered. The scene where he becomes overly enamored of one of Brindsley’s sculptures provides one of the biggest laughs of the evening. The amazing Jayden Russell as Clea bursts on to the stage looking like she stepped out of a 1965 issue of British Vogue. Russell is a compelling comedian, flawlessly switching characters and accents. Whether playing the jealous girlfriend or the jealous girlfriend pretending to be the maid, Russell is a wonder. However, it is Shane Morgan as Harold who steals the show here. As the effete antiques dealer, Morgan is so deliciously over the top that it is impossible to take your eyes off him. Every little movement, every hand gesture, every eye roll gets a laugh. In the hands of a less skilled actor this interpretation could have been disastrous, but Morgan makes it into an unforgettable comic masterpiece.
The two-tiered set, which is credited as a group effort, and the costumes, which are uncredited, evoke the London scene of the mid 1960’s and provide the look and space for all the craziness that ensues in Shaffer’s play. Lakeside’s Black Comedy should not be missed by anyone who appreciates farce and top-notch comedic acting. After these past two years, you deserve this evening of pure fun.
