When the lights go out, the fun begins...

Did you ever think a power outage could be fun? Playwright Peter Shaffer turns darkness into light--pun absolutely intended--in this hysterically funny farce, Black Comedy, directed by Vashon’s very own funny man and master of laugh-out-loud comedy, Steffon Moody.
 
Like any farce worthy of the name, there is total confusion: Will Harold, played by Randy Marinez, discover his expensive furnishings have been "borrowed" by Brindsley in order to impress the curvaceous Carol’s fusty father, played by Chaim Rosemarin? Will Brindsley, played by Marshall Murray, be able to shuttle Harold’s couch back and forth between their two apartments? Will Miss Furnival, played by Dianna Ammon, unwittingly betray Brindsley to Harold after too much time at the drinks table? Most importantly, will Brindsley be able to keep Carol, played by Bryanna Savelesky, and Clea, played by Stephanie Murray, apart, when the feisty Clea turns up unexpectedly? And who is the elusive millionaire Georg Bamberger? Is it Fred Alpert or is it Lou Mangione? Will Brindsley discover his true love? Or will chaos ensue? What do you think? And what about that precious Buddha?
 
Although Black Comedy premiered by the National Theatre in London in 1965, it certainly has legs, which means that it’s as funny now as it was when it opened. It’s also interesting to think that Clea was originated in the London production by Maggie Smith and in the Broadway premiere by Geraldine Page. Carol was played by Lynn Redgrave and Brindsley by Michael Crawford, famous for originating the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera.
 
This is Steffon’s first time helming a Drama Dock production. "I’m honored to have been asked. I love to direct. I feel like a kid given free-reign in a toy shop. The twist of the play is that the lights go out and the characters interact in the dark for the remainder of the show." (For the audience the lights actually get brighter.) "It is the perfect situation for physical comedy. The greatest challenge of the show will be the comic timing. Many movements will have to be tightly choreographed, and the actors are going to have to learn how to move as if they cannot see. I look forward to creating a tightly knit ensemble with the eight performers. We will be getting very close (literally)."
 
You will have only one weekend to forget your troubles and enjoy this funny, funny play, produced by Drama Dock at the Vashon High School Theatre. Tickets are available at the door of the Vashon High School Theatre and, in April, at the Vashon Book Shop. Tickets $20, Drama Dock members: $15, Youth & Senior: $10, Drama Dock Youth and Senior Members: $7.50.