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April 23-26, Pitt State Theatre will present it as the final production of the season at the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts.
During a perfectly planned evening when Brindsley Miller, a struggling sculptor, hopes to impress both his fiancée’s father and a millionaire art collector, a blackout causes everything to go wrong. In this wildly funny farce, unexpected guests appear, attempts are made to conceal deception, and unknown surprises lurk around every dark corner.
In order to impress his special guests for the evening, Brindsley uses the opportune time to sneak into his out-of-town neighbor’s apartment and borrows his expensive antique furniture and dishes.
And as it goes, not only does the neighbor return home early, but other guests, both expected and unexpected, soon arrive. Initially, the blackout causes a frenzy, but with the cover of darkness, it leads Brindsley to desperately and comedically swap out the furniture without anyone knowing what's happening around them or under them.
“There’s nothing funnier than chaos on stage and a blackout adds another layer of pandemonium,” said Director Megan Westhoff.
The rest of the evening takes place during the blackout. The play is staged in a reversed lighting pattern. When the fuse blows within the play, the stage becomes fully lit, and when a character lights a match or switches on a flashlight, the stage lights dim.
“The audience gets to watch the characters stumble and fumble around in a pitch-black room to highlight the purest form of physical comedy,” said Westhoff.
The acting ensemble includes Easton King (Frontenac) as Brindsley Miller, Bailey Danner (Diamond, Missouri) as his fiancée Carol, and Tucker Engstrom (Fredonia) as Carol’s military father, Colonel Melkett.
Bree Maxwell (Frontenac) plays Miss Furnival, the upstairs neighbor, and Aspen Williams (Pittsburg) plays the antique collecting next door neighbor, Harold Gorringe.
Wyatt Flood (Olathe) is Schuppanzigh the electrician, Sydney Patterson (Butler, Missouri) is Clea, Brindsley’s ex-girlfirend, and Keller Erwin (Pittsburg) is Georg Bamberger the millionaire art collector.
The production staff includes Linden Little, scenic and lighting designer, and Lisa Quinteros, costume designer. Stage managers are Hailey Goodrich (Kansas City, Missouri) and Kendra Johnson (Girard).
“Black Comedy” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, April 23-25, and at 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, April 25-26.
$18 for the general public
$13 for under 17 or over 64
Free to Pitt State students and employees with a valid Pitt State ID
Buy in person at the Pitt State Ticket Office, Room 137 Weede Building, M-F 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Buy them by phone at 620-235-4796. Order online at pittstate.edu/tickets. Buy them at the door approximately 30 minutes prior to curtain, based on availability.
This season, Pitt State Theatre is collecting needed items for The Lord’s Diner. During the run of “Black Comedy,” donations of single-serve snacks, such as peanut butter and crackers or cheese dip and cracker sticks, will be collected at the door.
