Ella Tighe( K, 24-) & Ottilie Fergusson( K, 24-) find a Ray in the dark
The Wykehamist
Black Comedy
Ella Tighe( K, 24-) & Ottilie Fergusson( K, 24-) find a Ray in the dark
Black Comedy( 1965), by Peter Shaffer Brindsley Miller Ray Crewe Carol Melkett Ernest Di Maria Miss Furnival Lawrence Liu Colonel Melkett Michael Arkhipov Harold Gorringe Arthur Zhang Schuppanzigh Arthur Marre Clea Theo Okolo Georg Bamberger Methu Menuwara Cooks’ House Play, QEII, 4-6 February
Upon walking into QEII on Friday evening, immediately noticeable was the gorgeous, almost psychedelic set, a testament no doubt to the time sacrificed by over twelve Cookites( as well as the ever-valiant JC) to make the play stand out from the get-go. However, somewhat unfortunately, much of the play was set in darkness, rendering the set barely visible in the red backlighting that was just bright enough to make out the silhouettes and rather passionate embraces of Ray Crewe( C, 22-) and Ernest Di Maria( C, 22-). This was the deliberate result of the ingenious conceit behind the entire play— that the audience’ s ability to see was traded for that of the characters. Darkness on stage implied a diegetic brightness, whereas a fully lit stage illuminated the actors’ feigned blind fumbling around in the dark. The entire cast demonstrated full physical commitment to the gimmick, with particular mention to Lawrence Liu( C, 24-), portraying the skittishness of Miss Furnival by visibly jumping out of his skin at the slightest sound or touch.
Quite the ragtag group of characters gathered under the blackout, made possible by the excellent casting of director Johnny Wyatt( C, 21-). Michael Arkhipov( C, 22-) commanded the stage as Colonel Melkett, pulling out a consistent American accent, and cowing the hushed audience with each half-bellowed line. The perfect antithesis to his impressive presence was the deliciously camp Harold Gorringe, played by Arthur Zhang( C, 22-), who minced about the stage, only destroying his carefully maintained composure in order to defend his pilfered antique furniture. Nevertheless, the standout performance was Arthur Marre’ s( C, 21-) portrayal of the eccentric German electrician Schuppanzigh, mistaken for renowned art critic Bamberger. He brought an electric level of glee to the role, brightening the entire performance with his energy, and was, indeed, more than willing to‘ feel [ a statue ] all over with passion’… whatever that means. Theo Okolo( C, 22-), meanwhile, as the jilted but glamorous Miss Clea, took vindictive pleasure in stirring the rapidly escalating misfortunes of Brindsley Miller, as well as poking fun at the prim and pretty Carol Melkett. Ernest Di Maria perfected the art of the flounce in his portrayal of the latter, striking the delicate balance between a young fiancée and the spoiled American heiress with her unselfconscious, falsetto-ed humour.
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