by Peter Shaffer
Translation and adaptation: Petre Bokor

Artistic direction: Cristian Ioan
Scenography: Vioara Bara
Premiere date: 04.05.2008

Written in the good tradition of farce, "Dark Comedy" can be considered one of the funniest plays of the second half of the 20th century. At the time of its writing and first performance at the Chichester Festival in 1965, "Dark Comedy" represented a significant innovation in Western theatrical language, through the stage conventions used. However, the innovation introduced by Peter Shaffer in the Western space is found in ancient Chinese theater and is based on the reversal of the meanings of light and darkness

A trivial power outage on a Sunday evening of vital importance for the protagonists derails the entire course of events carefully and meticulously prepared by them. Sculptor Brian Miller and his fiancée, Carol, have set up a meeting with the aim of impressing Carol's father, a former career military man, and millionaire Georg Bamberger, who, they hope, will buy some of Brian's artwork, ensuring his fame and material stability. However, things do not go as planned, because in the darkness that suddenly falls over the characters, confusions and surprises are continuous, culminating in the appearance of Brian's ex-fiancée.

Visual effects dominate the show as the characters, in a perpetual state of agitation, stumble, knock over furniture, fumble, walk backwards, and look for each other. A delicious, original comedy, Peter Shaffer's play reminds us with originality that the unexpected lurks and that any of us could be caught in a "comedy in the dark" at any time.

Distribution:

Brian Miller:  Razvan Vicoveanu
Carol Melkett:  Angela Tanko
Colonel Melkett:  Petre Panait
Miss Furnival:  Corina Cernea
Harold Gorringe:  Daniel Vulcu
Schuppanzigh:  Alexander Rusu
Clea:  Ioana Dragos Gajdo
Georg Bamberger:  George Voinese

Technical director: Alexandru Rois
Prompter: Florence Szabo
Lighting: Sorin Precup, Sandor Attila Nagy
Sound: Sorin Domide