'Night of Dark Comedy' inspires laughter

By Sarah Szczepanski
Assistant Features Editor

Junior Theatre major Joey Basu was correct, there was not a riot Thursday night following the Purdue performance of "A Night of Dark Comedy."

Before the show Basu, one of the producers, said he did not expect the audience to be in an uproar because of the controversial content. "One or two people just might walk out," he said.

He did not have to worry, no one in the audience walked out of the show, and in fact, the audience thought it was a hit.

The only thing "A Night of Dark Comedy" caused was a bunch of laughter and applause.

Think of the strangest people you know and amplify them 53 times; those are the characters portrayed in the performance.

"A night of Dark Comedy," a series of short acts, was absurdly humorous.

The scenes caused the audience to chuckle and think "What?" at the same time. This definitely is a chance to see theater like never seen before.

"The Problem" was one of the funniest acts in the show. It featured a husband and a wife who were working through some marital issues. The acting was wonderful and the script was just off the wall. Needless to say, "The Problem" left the audience chuckling long after the piece was over.

"Woman Stand-Up," directed by the festival’s other producer, junior theater major Kara McCaskey, was another performance that raised a lot of hysterics. The scene was about a stand-up who was not very good at her job.

Scenes like "Naomi in the Living Room," "The Book of Leviticus Show" and "Funeral Parlor" bring to light some of the oddities of human nature, whereas "The Leader" has to do with politics.

Not to mention the leader’s costume in "The Leader" is great.

Although some of the material could be perceived to some as not politically correct, ironically, looking deeper into the play causes a person to raise questions about the ways people are socialized.

The performance highlights the taboo present in everyday life and makes the jokes that normally wouldn’t be said. It's funny though, and it makes a person stop to think about why certain things are not supposed to be talked or laughed about, as if they are something shameful.

Laughter is a wonderful venue to question why certain things are considered off limits.

•Performances of "A Night of Dark Comedy" will continue at 8 p.m. today and Saturday at the Experimental Theatre.

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'Night of Dark Comedy' inspires laughter

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