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The ASR House Play ‘Black Comedy’ is a one-act farce of delightfully domestic proportions, written by acclaimed playwright Peter Schaffer for its debut in 1965. It’s now been revived by director Peter Broad Esq for a three-day run in the Caccia Studio from the 18th to 20th of January. At the start of the play, the stage is left in complete darkness. Why? We soon learn that ‘Black Comedy’ operates on an ingenious reverse lighting scheme; when the characters cannot see, the stage is lit with bright lights, and when the stage lights are dimmed, the characters regain their vision. The story follows the sculptor Brindsley Miller (played exceptionally by Mugamba Wilkins) and his fiancée Carol (played by a student from St. Mary’s School, Ascot), who prepare for their dinner party in the hopes of impressing Carol’s military father and one of Brindsley’s buyers, Georg Bamberger. As the guests draw nearer, the fuse in the cellar short-circuits and the stage is illuminated for the audience. What follows is a concoction of deception and drunkenness as Brindsley deals with a lonely spinster, Carol’s drill-sergeant father, a firmly in-the-closet antiques dealer neighbour, and revenging ex-girlfriend (played by another student from St. Mary’s School, Ascot). From its wonderful acting to the hilarious slapstick, ‘Black Comedy’ certainly has something for everyone.

A special mention should be given to the two cast members from St. Mary’s Ascot for their stellar performances. Furthermore, we must commend director Peter Broad, the Farrer production and front-of-house team, and most of all, the ASR cast and crew, for their perseverance throughout the play’s run.

Vernon Li

Photos: Henry Jackson – Keeper of School Photography