At the center of the comedy is Brindsley, a young, unemployed artist who dreams of a great career as an artist. Together with his fiancée, he is expecting a visit from the rich Russian patron of the arts George Godunov. To impress him and his future father-in-law, he has "borrowed" his shabby furniture in exchange for the exquisite antiques of his temporarily out-of-town neighbor Harold, who of course has no idea. When the fuse blows and Brindsley's ex-girlfriend Clea, who has by no means written him off, Miss Furnival, the boozer from next door, and neighbor Harold, who has returned early from his vacation, come crashing in, the chaos seems complete. The short circuit leads to a power cut and plunges the house into complete darkness ... For the audience, however, it is now light on stage and the story picks up speed.
But it gets even worse, as the mechanic who is supposed to repair the short circuit, Carol's father, who knows nothing about his daughter's engagement and, last but not least, the long-awaited art collector all turn up. ... and the catastrophe inevitably takes its course ...
Plenty of alcoholic drinks mixed in the dark lead to further confusion, until the lights finally go on again.
(or off) again.
Comedy in the Dark is a sophisticated laugh guarantee, sparkling, lively, amusing and extremely instructive!
Shaffer's trick, copied from Peking opera, is captivating: the stage is brightly lit, but the characters in the play are in the dark. A short circuit plunges Brindsley's apartment, who wants to impress his future father-in-law, into darkness. Situational comedy and illuminating misunderstandings are the result: everyone stumbles and falls. At the same time, they believe themselves to be invisible and thus unobserved. The deceitfulness of the relationships comes to light. An amusing, turbulent and enlightening play about appearance and reality.
"One of the funniest and most brilliant plays in our language" (London Sunday Times)