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Black Comedy (Theatre)
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BlackComedy | |
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A 1965 one-act play penned by British playwright Peter Shaffer, Black Comedy includes some elements of Black Comedy, but is really a quintessential example of British Farce - the title is a Punny Name referring to the play's lighting gimmick of "Chinese Darkness" - whenever it is light onstage, the actors will be in "darkness", and vice versa. This of course requires the actors to pretend to stumble around blindly while they can in fact see perfectly well (although some directors have used blindfolded rehearsals to get around this).In 1960s London, Unsuccessful sculptor Brindsley Miller and his debutante fiancée Carol Melkett are preparing for a evening with Carol's "Monster father" Colonel Melkett and wealthy art collector Georg Bamberger in Brindsley's Kensington flat, spruced up for the occasion with some rather expensive antique furniture "borrowed" from holidaying next-door neighbour Harold Gorringe, a Yorkshire-born antiques dealer, when their plans are rudely interrupted by a blown fuse. With an electrician on the way, Brindsley attempts to salvage the evening, but the arrival of uninvited guests (Teetotal elderly upstairs neighbour Miss Furnival as well as Brindsley's vivacious Old Flame Clea) and Harold's unexpectedly early return force him to spin an elaborate web of lies in an attempt to keep his guests in the dark by concealing Harold's stolen furniture and Clea's presence. But as you've probably already guessed, there's really only one way the night can end.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })While far less well known than Shaffer's other works Amadeus and Equus, the play remains fairly popular as a script for amateur dramatics groups and the School Play, as well as enjoying revivals from time to time. Incidentally, the original 1965 run featured what would become an impressive All-Star Cast (not so much at the time as many of the actors were early in their careers), including Derek Jacobi as Brindsley, Maggie Smith as Clea and Albert Finney as Harold, alongside Louise Purnell as Carol, Doris Hare as Miss Furnival, and Graham Crowden as the Colonel.If you're looking for the trope, see Black Comedy. | |
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| Black Comedy (Theatre) / int_bc74ef27 | type |
Berserk Button | |
| Black Comedy (Theatre) / int_bc74ef27 | comment |
Berserk Button: Do not mess with Harold's precious collection of antiques. By the end of the play, after he finds his flat in disarray and his Buddah smashed, he joins the Colonel in preparing to deliver a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown to Brindsley. | |
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Ambiguously Bi | |
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Ambiguously Bi: There are many unsubtle hints that Brindsley might have been in a sexual relationship with Harold, most notably the latter's response when he tells the recently arrived Clea (who is currenty concealed by the "darkness") to go wait in the bedroom within earshot of Harold: | |
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Affectionate Nickname: "Dumpling" is the Colonel's for Carol- and if the actress playing her is especially thin, as per the stage directions, it doubles as an Ironic Name. | |
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Black Comedy (Theatre) |
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