BLACK COMEDY at The Lace Market Theatre, Nottingham

I was discussing theatre last weekend with a friend and we both agreed, and I've said this in the past, that theatre should evoke some sort of reaction, whether it be good or bad, and Black Comedy does that.

Peter Shaffer's "Black Comedy" is one very funny play, nay a farce, but it takes a really good cast to bring out the comedy in any play, and that's exactly what we have here, a really good cast.

"Black Comedy" is a one act farce set in Brindsley Miller's apartment on a Sunday evening at 9:30. The play begins in complete darkness, why? because when the power supply goes, the main action is then seen in light and the actors can be seen stumbling around in the dark, unable to see each other, and that's where the frivolity begins.

Brindsley Miller, played by George Page-Bailey, is a young sculptor, and his debutante fiancée, Carol Melkett (Nicky Ubhi), have borrowed some very expensive antique items and furniture from his neighbour, Harold Gorringe (Sam Allison), who is away for the weekend, in an attempt to spruce up his normally slum-like apartment in order to impress a wealthy art collector, Georg Bamberger (Aris Alexandros Daoutis), who is coming to view his work, and Carol's father, Colonel Melkett (David Pain).

When the lights go out another neighbour, Miss Furnival (Bex Mason), who is afraid of the dark joins the crew, but home early from his holiday is Harold, who now adds to the cocktail because Brindsley now has to try and put back all of Harolds's precious furniture without anyone becoming aware of it and in the dark, with hilarious results.

Enter Brindsley's ex, or so he thought, Clea (Charlie Osborne) to stir up even more trouble in the dark, initially without anyone being aware and finally there's confusion when the electrician is mistaken for the German arts expert, Bamberger, who has been invited to cast his expert eye over the Miller's sculptures. More comedy evolves when we learn that Bamberger is very hard of hearing and the electrician, Schuppanzigh (Chris Moseley) also German isn't.

And finally Bamberger arrives after Gorringe has discovered what has been going on and Miss Furnival, who never drinks has become paralytic with drink due to her being unable to read the labels on the bottles of booze and the whole secret about Clea and Miller has been disclosed.

The whole cast are brilliant and George, as Brindsley is a slapstick genius, very reminiscent of John Cleese, a perfect foil for the wonderfully upper class Carol, a role that I'm sure Nicky absolutely adores playing and a complete character contrast to her last role at the theatre in "The Regina Monologues".

There was a mid way round of applause for the wonderfully drunken scene by Bex as she exited being held up by another brilliantly over the top camp performance by Sam Allison as Harold.

If you like a good old laugh then the Lace Market Theatre is where you need to head to because this is just wonderful, but be quick because tickets really are selling fast and when word gets around how good this is, you may find that you've missed the boat.

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Review: Black Comedy, Lace Market Theatre

THERE are three major strengths in the Lace Market Theatre’s latest production. First of all, Peter Shaffer’s Black Comedy, which was written and premiered in the sixties, is a brilliantly conceived play. Secondly, it’s outstandingly directed (by John Holbrook) and performed. Lastly, it’s done on a wonderful set.

In the sense that a man is trying to hide a secret from others and in the process is digging himself deeper into a hole, this is highly farcical. But it’s not full-blown farce: no-one loses his trousers and there are two doors instead of the statutory five.

The lights are fused near the start, and the great idea is that, as far as the audience is concerned, it’s light when it’s dark and dark when it’s light. The audience knows more about what’s going on than do the characters in the play - on-going and sustained dramatic irony.

George Page-Bailey is superb as failing artist Brindsley, the man in a mess. He’s OTT desperation personified; and, it being the sixties, he wears desert boots. The other stand-out performance comes from Sam Allison as Gorringe; he’s refreshingly non-PC northern gay, a bit like an exaggerated Alan Bennett but with check jacket, bow tie and handy hands.

Nicky Ubhi is a terrific fiancée Carol, with outrageous eye-lashes, a silly high-class and high-pitched voice, and even sillier line in baby talk. Miss Furnival, a scrumptious and reactionary religious maniac who gets plastered, is beautifully done by Bex Mason.

David Pain’s Colonel Melkett is well done except that he reminds us sometimes of an absent-minded civil servant rather than a stage retired military man; his encounter with the rocking chair is priceless. Charlie Osborne’s Clea, the hero’s glamorous and spirited ex-squeeze, is a super contrast to Carol, notably when pretending to be working class. Chris Moseley is Schuppanzigh, the world’s most unusual Electricity Board operative.

The satirically period set is distinguished by some terrible pictures from Brindsley: childish stuff in bright primary colours, and hopeless little sculptures.

On the evidence of first night it’s entirely unsurprising that tickets for this are already in short supply.

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Gareth Morgan caught the opening night of the Lace Market Theatre's latest comedy...

In Peter Shaffer's 1965 play Black Comedy, performed this week at the Lace Market Theatre, promising young sculptor Brindsley Miller and his fiancée Carol face a problem. With both Carol's father, Colonel Melkett, and George Bamberger, a wealthy German art collector, coming to view Brindsley's work, and having 'borrowed' some Regency furniture from Brindsley's antique shop-owning neighbour Harold Gorringe in order to smarten up their pokey flat and impress, the lights have gone out. This is the quirk of this photo-negative comedy - the opening conducted in the pitch black of 'normal light' and the rest in the bright stage light of the power cut which the Lace Market Theatre's production brings vividly to life.

Brindsley is now helpless as characters arrive one by one: his elderly neighbour, Miss Furnival, the Colonel, and Harold returning early from his weekend away. With Harold back, Brindsley too must return Harold's furniture including his prized porcelain Buddha without his noticing and keep the lights out long enough to get everything back in place. The arrival of Brindsley's ex, Clea, unaware of Brindsley and Carol's engagement and Schuppanzigh, the German electrical engineer sent by the electricity board and mistaken for Bamberger, only add to the confusion.

In John Holbrook's period set version, the anarchic quality of the script's physical comedy comes to the fore - George Page-Bailey as Brindsley in his moving of the furniture in the 'stage darkness' is fantastically funny and the reactions of the ensemble when a chair is moved are well drilled and no less entertaining. The standout performances come from Nicky Ubhi as Carol, every inch the spoilt Debutante in her white heels and Dusty Springfield hairdo, and Sam Allison as Harold, his camp turn as the Lancastrian antique dealer being the root of most of the laughs - not least when he mistakenly thinks he's been invited to a tryst in Brindsley's bedroom. Mention too must go to Chris Moseley in his cameo as Schuppanzigh and his feeling of Brindsley's sculpture.

The set seems to have taken the mid-sixties setting a little too literally with the walls daubed with psychedelic paint and the sound and lights need another rehearsal to really tighten up the cues with this being a key part of the show's aesthetic. It's a shame the space can't be darker at the start but we read what Shaffer is trying to do with his inverted lighting states despite the glows of the emergency exit signs. Also, and somewhat entertainingly, when Carol throws Brindley's ring back at him but hits her father in the eye, tonight it hit him in the shin but still to an "oh, my eye!"

As a first night this was a good reflection on what the show will be once the undoubtedly talented cast are fully used to performing it to an audience. However, it is the brilliant writing, clever conceit and rapier wit in Shaffer's script that is the real star. A fun, farcical and light-hearted evening which you'd do well not to miss. You wouldn't want to be left in the dark…

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