‘Evening’ keeps audiences on their toes
Black Box productions are notorious for their mature, edgy nature. “An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein,” a dark comedy, lives up to the Black Box’s established reputation. This is a difficult play to review, since each of its skits stands alone like a separate play. Many of the skits are clever and thought-provoking. A few of them seem ribald merely for shock value and cheap laughs. With 13 skits in this play, audience members will probably find something they’ll enjoy.
“An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein” comprises 13 skits that revel in dark humor; some of them surprise the audience with a philosophical smack upside the head in the midst of the humor. In “Going Once,” an auctioneer, played by Willis Miller, tries to sell a woman, played by Erin Daniel, to the audience by showing off her body and telling potential buyers she’ll do anything they want. When the skit becomes incredibly offensive, the auctioneer asks a simple question that changes the entire direction of the skit. Miller perfected the “used car salesman” persona.
In “The Lifeboat is Sinking,” Jen, played by Erin Neal, tests her husband, played by Derek Phelps, with a game of “lifeboat,” asking whom he would toss overboard first. What starts as a game morphs into something serious, where reality and nightmare are intertwined. Neal and Phelps maintain a high level of tension and energy throughout the skit.
In “Smile,” the fool, played by Johnathon Prante, who is responsible for inventing clichés like “far out” and “have a nice day” is punished for the horror he has wreaked on humanity. The man is at his wit’s end to explain his blunders as he tries to escape by the seat of his pants from his captors, who have an ax to grind.
Most of the actors establish their characters’ distinct personalities within the duration of the short skits, which is impressive. Evan Torkelsen has “creepy” down; you would not want to meet any of his characters in an alley. Becci French is convincing as a dramatic, 13 year-old girl in “The Best Daddy.” Lindsey Ferguson transitions smoothly from an intimidated woman to a vixen with a vendetta in “Bus Stop.” In “Blind Willie and the Talking Dog,” Sara Labor explores the hopes and dreams of a talking dog in a way that seems plausible.
A few of the skits fell flat, such as “Wash and Dry.” The plot twist is interesting, but George, played by Laven Adair, is a one-dimensional character. George’s lines, which are disturbing and threatening, are incongruous with his lack of a personality.
Although most of the skits use language and ribald humor to an effect, some of the raunchy humor seems gratuitous. Hannah Clark, who plays Lucy, and Willis Miller, who plays Pete, did a fine job in “Thinking up a New Name for the Act.” The way they only use two words, “meat and potatoes,” yet give the words meaning based on context is clever. The groping, grinding, and leering are less clever.
This play contains plenty of wordplay, from two prostitutes’ rhyming sales pitch in “Buy One, Get One Free” to the verbal sparring in “Bus Stop.” In “Bus Stop,” Irwin, played by Torkelsen, and Celia, played by Ferguson, hurl synonyms for male and female anatomy at each other. The actors deliver their lines with a prose rhythm and tempo that is amusing. However, the anatomical content is juvenile and seems to aim for cheap laughs. What is the difference between this and the kid who says “penis” and then giggles about it?
Between the mature content, dark humor, and intimate setting, this play may make some audiences uncomfortable even while they are amused. These characteristics seem to be requisites for a Black Box play, so “An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein” will not disappoint audiences who expect a certain edginess from Black Box productions. This play is raunchy, violent, and in your face. “An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein” will keep audience members on their toes, sometimes literally; during the final skit, I had the pleasure of dodging a flying harmonica.
